Holding Out For A Hero
by DarkInu418
Summary: Rachel leaves Finn after their date in New York. On the way to the hotel she is attacked in an alleyway and saved by the last person she would expect, showing them in a whole new light and changing things as she knows it. One things for sure at least senior year won't be boring. Faberry, Brittana, Klaine, etc. Begins at the end of Season 2. What If Season 3.
1. My Unlikely Hero

(A/N It's been years since I wrote a fanfic. I'm actually really sad that it took me this long to actually write another one since ideas have been swirling around in my head. This is me taking a stab at writing again so please forgive me if I'm a little bit rusty.

I own nothing. The characters, songs, and Glee are not owned by me. Though, I do take credit for the plot.)

Holding Out For A Hero

Summary: Rachel leaves Finn after their date in New York. On the way to the hotel she is attacked in an alleyway and saved by the last person she would expect, showing them in whole new light and changing things as she knows it. One things for sure at least senior year won't be boring. Faberry, Brittana, Klaine, etc. Begins at the end of Season 2. What If Season 3.

(This is a revised version of Chapter 1. Fixed some of my grammar and spelling mistakes)

 **Chapter 1: My Unlikely Hero**

Rachel Berry was getting ready for her date with Finn Hudson. He didn't really say it was a date, but she knew Finn long enough to know his plans. She was just putting on the last finishing touches to her makeup and she was ready to go. Looking at herself one more time, she figured she was ready. Maybe she went a little overboard with the shawl but this is New York! You're allowed to go overboard.

She walked out of the bathroom and realized that all the girls have left. Pillows and feathers were all over the room, the beds in disarray, and clothes all over the floor. She huffed in disgust because they hadn't even been there for a day and the room was already trashed.

' _I wish Mr. Schue had a bigger budget. I demand my own room. How can I write a hit song rooming with pigs?_ ' Rachel thought to herself as she grabbed her purse and walked out the room. She absolutely refused to clean after them.

Walking down the hall, she heard music coming from one of their rooms. For the competition to be fair, each show choir was allowed an extra room filled with musical instruments so that they can practice. That way the playing field was even, and a richer school didn't have the upper hand over a school that didn't have a huge budget.

' _It's probably Brittany writing another cup song._ ' Rachel thought sadly. Seriously why was it so hard to get the others to write a decent song? She was able to write a hit song all on her own. Okay maybe Quinn came up with the melody but she wrote the lyrics. Why must she have to carry everyone?

She was about to continue walking when she heard a crash. "Dammit!" A female voice was heard yelling from the door. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. Another crash was heard, followed by another.

Rachel started biting her lower lip in concern. She looked down at her watch to see what time it was. She had about a half hour before she has to meet Finn. Maybe she should see if they were alright.

As she walked towards the door, she noticed that it was open a crack. That explained why she could hear them because Mr. Schue did tell her that the room was sound proof. She decided to look in first to see if whoever was in there would even want to talk to her.

She held back a gasp when she saw Quinn Fabray hunched over a piano with her head in her hands. Paper was thrown across the room, a chair was flipped upside down, and a drum set was practically ripped apart. No one else seemed to be in the room.

A part of her wanted to go over to see how she was, but another part decided to stay back because she was probably the last person, besides Finn, that she wanted to see right now.

Quinn pulled her head out of her hands, a look of frustration on her face. "I don't understand why it's so hard to write a song right now." She glared furiously at the piano, like the keys had betrayed her somehow. "I need to try something new." She muttered to herself. Then she got up and walked over to the synthesizer, bringing it over to where the piano was and laying it on top. She pushed the bench back and looked down at the synthesizer.

Rachel noticed a thoughtful look on Quinn's face as she stood looking down at the instrument then she started to play a tune. Apparently she liked what she heard because a little smile comes on her face. She played the tune a few times before she started playing a tune on the piano.

Rachel didn't think that it sounded bad, in actuality it sounded pretty catchy. Quinn stopped playing for a moment; she walked over to a video camera. "Think of New York." She muttered to herself. She made a few adjustments before she hit record and walked over to the piano.

"Okay New York song. Take 5." Quinn said clearly into the camera.

Quinn started playing the tune and Rachel was shocked at how good the song sounded. What was even more surprising was the lyrics that Quinn was making up at the top of her head. It actually sounded like a professional song.

" _Walking through a crowd_

 _The village is aglow_

 _Kaleidoscope of loud_

 _Heartbeats under coats_

 _Everybody here_

 _Wanted something more_

 _Searching for a sound we hadn't_

 _Heard before_

 _And it said_

A huge grin came to Quinn's face as she continued playing. Rachel was surprised by how carefree she looked playing on the piano.

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

Rachel really liked the tune to that song. It was really catchy and the lyrics weren't half bad.

 _It's a new soundtrack_

 _I could dance to this beat, beat_

 _Forever more_

 _The lights are so bright_

 _But they never blind me, me_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _When we first dropped our bags on_

 _Apartment floors_

 _Took our broken hearts_

 _Put them in a drawer_

 _Everybody here was someone else_

 _Before_

 _And you can want who you want_

 _Boys and boys and_

 _Girls and girls_

She was a little surprised at that last line. Maybe it was her singing her support of Kurt and Blaine, and Santana and Brittany. She had to admit that being in New York it doesn't matter if you're gay or not.

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _It's a new soundtrack_

 _I could dance to this beat, beat_

 _Forever more_

 _The lights are so bright_

 _But they never blind me, me_

 _Welcome to New York (New York)_

 _It's been waiting for you_

 _Welcome to New York_

 _Welcome to New York_

Quinn was dancing a little to the beat as she continued to play along, really liking what she was doing. Rachel didn't think that she had even seen Quinn that happy. She looked so at peace right now.

 _Like any great love it keeps you_

 _Guessing_

 _Like any real love_

 _It's ever changing_

 _Like any true love_

 _It drives you crazy_

 _But you know you wouldn't_

 _Change anything, anything_

 _Anything_

She went through the chorus one more time and stopped playing, then she made her way to the camera and stopped recording. "Okay now to look over this and write it all down." The smile on her face never left.

Rachel decided that she should probably leave now. Quinn seemed to be in better spirits and seeing her would put an end to her happy mood. She took a few steps back and looked down at her watch.

Her eyes widened. ' _Crap I'm going to be late. Oh this is so unlike me._ ' Rachel started rushing off to go meet Finn. As she was walking away she started to hear that familiar tune in the room down the hall.

* * *

Well this day certainly went south fast. And it was going so well too. She was on a wonderful date with Finn; she got to meet her idol, and she was serenaded on the streets of New York. It was such a magical night, so then why did she hesitate when Finn was about to kiss her?

She wanted to kiss him, really she did, but something was holding her back. Guilt? He did just break up with Quinn at a funeral of all places. Was it really time for him to get back into a relationship even though he broke someone else's heart. What did that say about her? Regret? Maybe he regretted the fact that they did break up all those months ago. She didn't like how she acted back then when she found out that Finn slept with Santana. Or maybe she knew deep down inside that Finn would start going back to his old ways of treating her and she didn't want that.

She continued walking to the hotel, not really paying attention to where she was going. Her mind was so jumbled right now. Why did Finn pick this week of all weeks to decide that he wanted to be with her? It's not really fair to her. She has enough on her plate.

Suddenly she felt someone start tugging her arm harshly, pulling her into an alleyway. Her back was slammed up against a wall and she cried out in pain.

A knife was thrust into her face. Her eyes widened in horror. Two men were towering over her; one had shaggy brown hair and a scar across his face; while the other one was covered in tattoos and was bald. Scar man was holding the switchblade while bald man was holding chains.

Thinking quickly, Rachel held her purse out. "Here take it." She started to tremble in fear. How can she be so stupid? This wasn't Lima, Ohio; New York was known for their muggings and crime.

Scar man smiled and it was the scariest thing that Rachel had even seen. "Who says it's the purse we want." His New York accent was thick. "I mean, you have gorgeous legs, girly." He leaned in and smelled her perfume. "And you smell delicious. Makes me want to… you know…take a bite."

Rachel's stomach dropped at this. These men wanted to rape her. Take away her purity. "HELP!" She started screaming at the top of her lungs. The men jumped back a little in surprise before the scar man covered her mouth. She shuddered in disgust. How dare he touch her?

"Now we can't have that. We don't want anyone to spoil our fun." Scar man stated, smiling even more. He used his other hand to start reaching for her boob, but before he could even lay one finger on her, someone hit him hard in the head with something.

"Get away from her!" A voice said coldly. Rachel's eyes widened even more because she knew that voice. She turned her head to the side to see Quinn Fabray in all her glory. She was wearing a white blouse and some blue jeans. Her long blonde hair looked wind swept and her hazel eyes look positively murderous. Rachel also noticed that she was holding a trash can lid. So that was what she hit him with.

Before the men could react, Quinn grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her away from them. She made sure that Rachel was behind her.

Scar man was holding his head in pain while bald man turned to face them. "Well look what we have here? Tall hot blonde, now she is more of my type." Bald man said, his accent sounded more Jersey than anything. He started putting his chains together and then pulling them apart in a menacing fashion. "Baby, are you ready to have your world rocked?"

Quinn huffed in disgust as she slowly started backing her and Rachel out of the alleyway. "In your dreams." Her eyes never left the men.

Rachel was downright terrified. They had no chance against these men. That relief that she felt when she heard Quinn's voice vanished. Now they were not only going to hurt her, but Quinn as well. It was all her fault.

Scar man recovered from Quinn's hit and now he was glaring at them. "I'm going to make you pay for that, blondie." He lunged at them.

Quickly Quinn pushed Rachel further back, before she brought her trash lid up and hit him hard in the arm. He cried out in pain. She then kicked him in the stomach, while he hunched over, she brought the trash lid down hard on his head. He fell to the floor, unmoving.

Before Quinn could have time to gather herself, a chain flew out and hit her hard in the chest. She cried out in pain. A hand came out and grabbed her hair. Bald man pulled her roughly towards him, pulled his hand back and socked her in the face. A loud crunch was heard, letting everyone know that Quinn's nose was broken.

Rachel looked on horrified. She has never seen something so gruesome before. She wanted to help Quinn out but she was frozen, she can't move.

"Stupid bitch!" Bald man yelled. Still pulling hard on Quinn's hair, she cried out again. He pulled his hand back for another blow but then he found that he couldn't move because Quinn's knee had collided harshly with his groin.

He let go of her hair, allowing Quinn to punch him hard in the face, breaking his nose. Then she stepped back and swiped her trash can lid to the side, colliding with the side of his face, knocking him out. He fell to the floor in a heap.

Quinn waited for a minute to see if either one of them was moving, satisfied that they were out cold, she turned around and staggered toward Rachel.

Blood was pouring down her face and her shirt was essentially ruined. Rachel could only stare at her in utter shock. It really wasn't a pretty picture.

"The police should be here any minute." Quinn responded, though it was hard to understand since she couldn't speak well. She tried wiping the blood off with her hand, but it kept pouring out. She tried to pinch it but she winced in pain when she did.

Seeing this made Rachel spring back into action. She took her shawl off of her shoulders and offered it to Quinn. She looked at her questionably. "It's for your nose." She looked unsure for a moment, but then she grabbed it and put it under her nose.

She was about to say thank you but then a light started flashing towards them and two police officers came into view. They both sighed in relief.

* * *

After explaining everything to the police officers, the two men were arrested and an ambulance was called. Rachel insisted on being with Quinn, so she climbed in the back with her. Quinn tried to get out of it and call a cab because it was just a broken nose, but Rachel refused to listen to her and made her get in.

Currently they were in the doctor's office, waiting for Quinn's x-rays to come in. Rachel already called Mr. Schue to let him know where they were. He seemed pissed on the phone so Rachel was sure that they were probably going to either get detention or be suspended.

Quinn looked pretty bad, her face was already swollen and her eyes were starting to get black and blue. Her hand was cut up a little from when she punched the bald man. She was still wearing the same clothes because she had nothing else to change into. Luckily the bleeding stopped, though Rachel's shawl was pretty much destroyed by this point.

The doctor came in, with a light smile on his face. He was a little older, with grey hair and light blue eyes. He put the x-ray on the screen and turned the light on. "Well Miss Fabray, it is definitely broken, but it looks like a clean break. Your hand is a little injured but no sprains or broken bones. Your chest seems fine, just a little bruising. Now I'm going to have to reset your nose. Have you ever broken it before or had work done?" He started putting his gloves on.

Quinn looked a little uncomfortable and she glanced at Rachel unsurely. Rachel noticed this and started to look confused. She sighed and looked back to the doctor. "No."

Bells went off in Rachel's head. ' _But…But she told me that she had a nose job,_ ' She stared at Quinn, who started to squirm. ' _Unless…Oh my god she lied to me!_ '

Before Rachel could say anything, the doctor came over to Quinn and gently grabbed her nose. The blonde winced.

"Now Miss. Fabray this is going to hurt. I'm going to go on the count of three. 1, 2…" He suddenly snapped Quinn's nose back into place and she cried out in pain.

Rachel smiled on the inside. ' _Good that's what she gets. I can't believe I almost got a nose job because of her._ '

The doctor started fixing up Quinn's nose and examining it. "Sorry but most patients prefer the quick approach. Like ripping off a band aid." He started scribbling some things on his clipboard before he ripped it off and handed it over to Quinn. "The pain and swelling should start going away in a few days and you should be all healed up in 2 to 3 weeks. I've given you something for the pain and once you get back home, go to your family doctor." He then shook Quinn's hands and then Rachel's. "Take care Miss. Fabray, and Miss. Berry; be more aware of your surroundings next time." Rachel had the decency to blush. "You two should stay in here until your guardian comes for you. Have a nice day." He waved to them and left the office.

The room was silent for a moment then Rachel got up from her seat. She stood in front of Quinn and put her hands on her hips. "So you never had a nose job." She stated angrily.

Quinn blushed in embarrassment and nervously started playing with the hem of her shirt. "Sorry."

"Sorry! You're sorry! Quinn, I almost had a nose job because of you! You lied to me!" Rachel shouted furiously, but she was more hurt than anything. "I should have known better." She muttered to herself. It was just like Quinn to lie to her and hurt her feelings. "Did you lie about everything? Were you really overweight and unpopular? Is your real name even Lucy?"

Quinn sighed. "Yes it was all a lie" At Rachel's look of disbelief, she continued on. "Look Puck and Zizes were trying to sabotage me. I found out right away. I devised this plan to throw them off a little. My mom has a friend that used to work in my old school, I told her to pull my original file and put in this fake one."

Rachel really couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What about the picture?"

Quinn scoffed but then she winced because it hurt her nose. "If you look closely at the picture you can clearly see that it is photo shopped."

"You had a serious meltdown in the hallway."

"It's called acting."

"You did all this for prom queen?"

"I really wanted to win." Quinn replied shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sorry I lied to you and everyone else." She did sound sincere.

Rachel sighed and let her shoulders slump, her arms going to her sides. "Well was it even worth it?"

"Not really since I didn't win. Though fooling Zizes and Puck was a huge highlight. Morons." She laughed a little then winced again.

Rachel noticed the movement and felt really guilty. "Thank you for saving me. I'm really sorry that you got hurt."

Quinn waved her off. "It's not your fault. Really it's more Finn's fault than anything. That idiot should have walked you home." Her face looked angry. "If I wasn't walking around then you would have ended up dead in a ditch somewhere." Apparently when she was mad, she tended to talk a lot because this was the longest conversation that they had ever had. Though the medical they gave her earlier could also be the source.

Rachel really wasn't going to argue with that. Finn should have known better or really any of the guys. They should have offered to walk her home instead of singing that song. It wasn't even her favorite Disney song.

Her walking alone made her think of something. "Why were you walking alone?"

She looked surprised by the question. "I wanted some fresh air. I was starting to feel cooped up."

Rachel knew that she was hiding the fact that she was also writing a song for Nationals, but decided not to press her too much. Wouldn't want the old Quinn to come out. "No matter the reason, thank you for saving me." She smiled brightly at Quinn.

Quinn looked a little uncomfortable by all the praise. She looked away shyly, not bothering to reply. Rachel went back down to sit. They sat there for a few minutes, but Rachel just wanted to ask this one question.

"Hey Quinn." She looked over at her to show her that she got her attention. "What's your real name?"

She stared at Rachel for a few minutes before turning to face forward. Rachel sighed, thinking that she pushed Quinn too far again and she was closing up.

"Quinn Elizabeth Fabray."

Rachel looked surprised but she tried not to show it. "Well it sounds a lot better than Lucy Quinn Fabray, never pegged you as a Lucy."

She laughed a little, the sound making Rachel grin. It's rare to make Quinn smile, let alone laugh. "So does that mean that you named Beth after you?" She had to ask. The names were too similar.

Quinn looked at Rachel with a cocky smirk. "Did you really think that I would allow Puck to name my daughter? I let him believe that the idea was his."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh. That sounded so much like Quinn that she was actually a little disappointed that she didn't figure it out sooner. "So does anyone know that you lied?" She was rather curious, surely someone caught on.

"Santana and Brittany knew. We went to the same school. We've been the Unholy Trinity since grade school."

She should have known that they would know. She was a little curious about Santana though. "Why didn't Santana say anything? Surely she would have said something to throw you under the bus?" She knew that if she ever pulled a stunt like that and Santana knew then her secret wouldn't be one for long.

"Turns out she's had it out for Zizes ever since she humiliated her a couple months ago." She shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I was the lesser of two evils."

Rachel looked thoughtful as she considered everything she was told. That does sound like the Latina. The phrase, the enemy of my enemy is my friend comes to mind. "So then you never really were unpopular or overweight then?"

"Well I never noticed the popularity thing until high school but I was pretty athletic. Still am really. The only time I was overweight was when I was pregnant." Quinn replied with an air of nonchalance. "I'm sorry for lying to you. If it helps I would have stepped in if you were really going to get a nose job."

Rachel just shook her head at this whole mess. "I guess I can forgive you on one condition."

Quinn sighed because she knew that she wasn't going to like it. "What is it?"

Rachel looked at Quinn with a steely glaze. Quinn knew that she meant business with that look.

"You show me your acting methods."

Quinn almost fell over in surprise. She was not expecting that, but then she let the whole question sink in. Suddenly she started laughing uncontrollably. Tears were streaming down her face and she was clutching her sides.

Rachel looked a little put out. "I deserve to know Quinn! That was an Oscar worthy performance!"

This only made Quinn laugh harder. "I can't…even! … Only…you…Only…you!" She gasped out. "My…nose…hurts…so…b…bad!"

She glared at the blonde whose face was starting to turn red. "So…" She drawled out.

Quinn waved her off. "Su…Sure….what…ever!"

Rachel smiled happily to herself, just watching Quinn laugh herself into another hospital visit if she kept it up. She knew that Quinn was wrong to have lied to everyone so that she could be prom queen, but she also couldn't deny that Quinn was a marvelous actress in this whole scheme. Who was she to turn her nose up at talent like that?

' _Anything for Broadway._ '

* * *

To say that Mr. Schue was mad would be an understatement. He was downright furious once he was told the full story. To Rachel's surprise, he wasn't even mad at her or Quinn, but rather all the guys. They were let off with a warning not to go outside, but it was nothing compared to the detentions that the guys received. They'll be serving their time until the end of September of the next school year.

Of course once everyone heard the story and saw Quinn's face, they knew the punishment was justified. The boys also apologized profusely to them, especially Finn since it was his idea, though both girls refused to talk to him for obvious reasons.

Santana was so impressed by what Quinn did that she grabbed a trash lid and all but demanded that she show her how she beat up those guys. Everyone was in agreement that Quinn was a badass, with Puck going so far as calling her Xena, but he stopped after Lauren glared at him.

Mr. Schue then clarified that everyone had to stay in the hotel and not go outside anymore. No one really listened to him because the next day her and Kurt went to the stage of _Wicked_ and Quinn went to get a haircut with Santana and Brittany. Santana said it was so that, "People would look at something else other than her nose." But Rachel thought it was because she wanted Quinn to feel better about herself and not get depressed. Though, she would never say that out loud, she preferred living.

So while Mr. Schue had the best intentions, no one really bothered to listen. Though hearing that he was planning on leaving them for Broadway did hurt Rachel more than she thought. That situation quickly cleared up and currently they were trying to write songs for Nationals in the music room that Rachel found Quinn in the other day.

Which brought her to this moment: Rachel glaring daggers at Quinn. She could not believe that she hadn't said anything about the song she wrote the other day. It was really good. Like so good that it could play on the radio. It got Rachel thinking. If Quinn held back this information then maybe she was withholding more songs? Songs that was just as good if not better.

"Guys I think Kurt and I finished a song!" Mercedes shouted. Everyone looked up at the two who looked really excited. They showed Quinn the sheet music, because besides Brad, Quinn was the only one who could play piano well. Rachel knew that she didn't like it as soon as she read the music. It showed on her face. Instead of saying something Quinn sat at the piano bench and started to get ready to play.

"Okay so the songs called, _Light Up The World_ and I really think that we out did ourselves." Kurt proudly exclaimed.

The music started playing and the duo started to sing. To be fair the song wasn't that bad but it wasn't that great either, especially compared to Quinn's song. This only made Rachel madder because Quinn refused to say anything. This could cost them Nationals!

The song ended and everyone clapped politely. "So what did you guys think?" Mercedes asked.

"Well it was okay." Artie said uncomfortably, slowly backing away in his chair.

The Divas looked at him furiously. "What do you mean okay?! It was good. Much better than _My Cup_!" Kurt shouted.

Brittany pouted, "You guys didn't like my song?" She looked near tears.

Santana glared murderously at the divas and they quickly shrunk back in fear. "At least her song doesn't sound like some reject Kidz Bop bullshit." She then tried to soothe Brittany who was still pretty upset.

Finn then decided to take matters into his own hands. "I have a song that's even better." He then thrust the sheet music at Quinn who glared at him in return. He decided to step away from his ex because she scared the crap out of him.

Rachel looked carefully at Quinn as she looked the music over, noticing that she was frowning in distaste. She didn't like that one either! Why wasn't she saying anything? Instead of giving out advice, she was getting herself ready to play.

Finn smiled at Rachel. "I wrote this song so that it can be a duet between me and Rachel. It's called _Pretending_."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. ' _I mean seriously! Your ex-girlfriend is right there. Don't you have any tact_?' Rachel thought to herself. _'Is Finn always this oblivious or is he trying to pour salt into the wound?'_

Quinn scowled in anger but she played the song anyway, though Rachel noticed that she was hitting the keys a little too hard in places. Once the song was finished, Finn was looking straight at Rachel with those puppy dog eyes.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked with hope in his voice. Everyone rolled their eyes at him because he was being so obvious.

Rachel looked a little uncomfortable because if she was being honest, she really didn't care for it. It was nothing like what she wrote and it seemed like a cheap knock off. They weren't going to win with either of those songs. "To be honest…" Before she could reply, Santana cut in.

"I hate it."

Finn looked like he's been slapped, but then he turned to her in anger. "I wasn't asking you, I was asking Rachel."

Santana glared at him from her place on top of the piano next to Brittany. "Well Berry didn't want to pop your pathetic man boob bubble."

He looked at Rachel, his feelings clearly hurt. "Is that true? You really didn't like it?"

Rachel sighed because she knew she had to say it but she really didn't want to. "I've heard better." This was true she might add, as she glared over at Quinn, who wasn't looking at her. "To be honest both songs aren't the greatest. We really can't win with them."

Kurt threw his hands up in the air. "Well do you have something better? Because that's all we have."

"Well not really." Rachel replied, she knew she wasn't the greatest songwriter. The only reason _Get It Right_ was so good was because Quinn came up with the melody before they got into the fight. All she did was channel her anguish and came up with the lyrics.

"See! So we have no chance. Nationals are in two days and those songs are our best shot." Kurt stated triumphantly. Maybe he will even get a solo.

Mr. Schue sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't coming up with anything either. He looked over at Jesse to see that he was doodling pictures of himself singing on stage instead of actually helping them. "It looks like we have no choice. We have too…"

He was interrupted by Rachel, who has finally reached her breaking point with Quinn. She stood up from her chair. "That's it! I can't sit by anymore and let these songs ruin our chances at winning." A few cries of hey could be heard but Rachel wasn't paying them any attention. "This person wrote an amazing song and they refuse to speak up. I tried really hard not to say anything, hoping that they would tell us themselves but I can't sit by and watch my…I mean our dreams of Nationals slip through our fingers!"

Everyone was looking wide eyed at her. Finally Mr. Schue cleared his throat and looked around the room. "Okay so who is this secret songwriter?"

Rachel pointed an accusing finger at Quinn, whose eyes got even wider. "Quinn." You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet.

Finally Quinn started laughing, though it sounded forced to her ears. "I have no idea what you're talking about?" She smiled and Rachel knew instantly that it was fake. Judging by the suspicious looks Santana and Brittany were directing at her, they knew she was lying as well. "I haven't been able to come up with anything nearly as good as the others."

"Liar! I know you have! On another note, you hated their music too. I saw that look on your face." Rachel yelled. A few mores hey's could be heard but nobody paid them any mind.

Santana got off the piano and was glaring at Quinn. "Unfortunately I have to agree with the midget. You're hiding something, Fabray."

Quinn looked between the two, trying to come up with a way to get out of this. Realizing that she really had no other choice, she sighed and dropped her shoulders. "Fine! I did write a song." At the pleased grin on Rachel and Santana's face, Quinn glared at them and continued on. "It's not done yet. I still have a few more things to finish up."

Brittany jumped off of the piano and ran over to give Quinn a hug. "Q, you're such a perfectionist. I'm sure it's as great as all your other songs."

Quinn looked at Brittany worriedly while everyone else looked even more surprised. "Brittany, you weren't supposed to say anything!" Quinn whined in embarrassment, her cheeks going red.

"How many songs has she written?" Santana asked Brittany because she knew better than to ask Quinn.

Brittany looked to be in thought while Quinn just looked nervous. "I'm not sure I lost count, but she's been writing since 6th grade. Does that help?" She asked her on again off again girlfriend.

Everyone turned to glare at Quinn, who started to hide behind Brittany. "You have a whole damn library and you didn't even bother to let us know! I've been busting my ass…"

"Santana." Mr. Schue warned.

"… butt trying to write a song and you've had all these songs. I could kill you Fabray!" Santana shouted, clearly pissed off. That could have been time with Brittany but no Q had to go ruin it.

Everyone was shouting their anger at all the time that they wasted before Finn spoke up. "How do we even know if they're any good? I mean there has to be a reason Quinn didn't want to show us."

Quinn and even Brittany, much to everyone's surprise, was glaring at him. "Q writes the best songs ever! My favorite is _Fat Cat, Little Duck_!" Quinn's glare faltered and she blushed, but Brittany still kept glaring at Finn which was starting to unnerve him.

Santana snickered at the song name. "Really Q?"

Quinn glared at Santana. "It was the first song I ever wrote. Brittany asked me to write it for her." The Latina stopped laughing when she realized that it was for Brittany.

Brittany squealed happily. "It maybe your first song, but it's still my favorite. _This is a story about a cat named Tubbington_ …" Quinn quickly covered Brittany's mouth, her face red.

"Brittany, how about we keep that one between us?" Quinn asked politely, though she was completely mortified. She removed her hand when Brittany nodded.

Rachel was a little puzzled that Quinn wouldn't share her talent with the others. What was more surprising was that even Santana didn't know. The Latina tended to butt her head into everyone's business. If it was her, she would broadcast it for the whole world to know. "Quinn, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Quinn sighed and ran a hand through her now short blonde locks. Rachel forgot to tell her how good she looked, though to be honest Quinn always looked good. "At first I just wanted to get the hang of it but after a while the songs started becoming more personal so I was afraid to share them with anyone. The only reason Brittany knew was because she was always sneaking into my house and found me playing one day."

Brittany nodded at that and smiled brightly. "It's always fun watching Quinn play." Well apparently Brittany still snuck into Quinn's house. Santana looked stunned by that little nugget of info.

Rachel decided to try and break the ice. "Quinn, songwriting is always personal. I mean when I wrote _Get It Right_ I wrote from the heart. I didn't want to force your hand, but I heard you playing the other day and it sounded really good, and I really want to win. With that song, I can see us advancing."

Quinn still looked a little unsure, so Rachel tried again to convince her. "Look, if it helps, we won't judge you or make fun of you." She turned to glare at Santana, who held her hands up in defense.

"If it gets me out of writing, I won't say a damn thing." The Latina promised. Rachel looked at everyone else and they all nodded their heads.

Finally Quinn sighed in defeat. "Fine, Puck, can you bring over that synthesizer and put it on top of the piano? Santana, can you grab my bag?" Both did as they were told while everyone else started cheering. Quinn went through her bag and brought out a three ring binder. The thing looked huge. Rachel's eyes widened. Could this be all of Quinn's songs? It looked like so many.

Quinn flipped to the last page in the book, pried open the three rings and took out a few pieces of paper. She set the binder next to her and put the pages on the piano. Then like last time she stood up. "This song is called _Welcome To New York_." She still looked a little embarrassed.

As she was playing and singing the song, everyone was starting to move and sing to the beat. Brittany, Santana and Mike even started dancing. Quinn was slowly starting to get into the song. The song sounded even better than when she heard it last time.

Once Quinn was done, she looked at everyone nervously. The first to respond was Brittany who hugged her excitedly. "Q, that was so good. I loved it."

Kurt and Mercedes both admitted that the blonde's song was a lot better than theirs. Everyone else was just glad that they had a better song instead of something like _My Cup: The Second Sip_.

"Quinn, that was really good. Do you mind if we use it?" Mr. Schue asked politely. Even he was astonished at how good the song was. It sounded like it could go on the radio tomorrow. He was really proud.

Quinn smiled at the praise but looked a little unsure. "I'm not sure. It's still has some issues."

Puck slapped Quinn on the back, earning a glare from her. "Then we'll help you out. Sam and I can play the guitar. Finn's a pretty decent drummer."

Finn huffed in indignation. "I'm a pretty good drummer." Everyone ignored him.

Quinn looked at everyone's hopeful faces. "Okay we can do the song." Every person cheered.

Mr. Schue clapped his hands in glee. "Excellent, now we just need one or two more songs and we should be ready."

"I found two." Santana stated, looking through Quinn's binder. Brittany was right next to her also browsing. They must have grabbed it when everyone was trying to convince Quinn to do the song.

"Hey I didn't give you permission to look through that!" Quinn shouted, trying to grab the binder, but Santana just moved out of the way. Quinn huffed and sat down in defeat, it was too late anyway she already picked two.

The Latina grinned in victory before she pried open the binder and pulled out the sheet music. She handed over the first one to Quinn who looked alarmed. "Santana, that one's personal. I was mad when I wrote it." Quinn said, trying to hand it back.

Santana pushed her hand away. "Well you need to get this off of your chest. Besides it seems like a good song."

Rachel was curious as the two best friends glared at each other. Brittany came up beside Quinn and looked at her pleadingly. "Please Q. You and I both know that this is a good song."

Quinn sighed in defeat again before she sat back down at the piano bench. Brittany and Santana cheered in victory. "I seriously don't know why I put up with you two." They both gave her a thumbs up.

"This song is called _Elastic Heart_." Santana told the others. Quinn started playing and soon everyone was focused on her.

" _And another one bites the dust_

 _Oh why can I not conquer love?_

 _And I might have thought that we were one_

 _Wanted to fight this war without weapons_

 _And I wanted it, I wanted it bad_

 _But there were so many red flags_

 _Now another one bites the dust_

 _Yeah, let's be clear, I'll trust no one_

 _You did not break me_

 _I'm still fighting for peace_

Everyone was starting to look uncomfortable as Quinn started singing. It was so obvious that she was singing about Finn, and maybe even Puck and Sam. Rachel looked over at Finn, who didn't seem to get that the song was about him, and he was smiling. He was even moving his head to the beat.

 _Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_

 _But your blade - it might be too sharp_

 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_

 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_

 _But you won't see me fall apart_

 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart_

 _I've got an elastic heart_

 _Yeah, I've got an elastic heart_

Rachel really liked the chorus, she could really relate to it since she's had just as much heartbreak as the blonde. She never knew that she could relate to someone like Quinn Fabray, but in a strange way they share the same feelings of love.

 _And I will stay up through the night_

 _And let's be clear, won't close my eyes_

 _And I know that I can survive_

 _I'll walk through fire to save my life_

 _And I want it, I want my life so bad_

 _I'm doing everything I can_

 _Then another one bites the dust_

 _It's hard to lose a chosen one_

 _You did not break me_

 _(You did not break me, no)_

 _I'm still fighting for peace_

Quinn was really singing her heart out. You could really hear the anger and pain in her voice as she sang about her love life and her wish for love.

 _Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_

 _But your blade - it might be too sharp_

 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_

 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_

 _But you won't see me fall apart_

 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart_

Santana and Brittany stood beside the blonde and put their hands on each of her shoulders. They started backing Quinn up and started singing with her. The blonde threw a small smile over her shoulder.

 _Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_

 _But your blade - it might be too sharp_

 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_

 _Yeah, I may snap and I move fast_

 _But you won't see me fall apart_

 _'Cause I've got an elastic heart"_

" _I've got an elastic heart_." Quinn whispered the last part delicately almost afraid that if she spoke any louder than she might break. Her voice sounded broken.

The silence is shattered by Finn clapping enthusiastically. Everyone looked at him like he grew a second head. "Quinn, that was so good. That is the perfect duet between me and Rachel."

Rachel groaned and face palmed. ' _He really is that stupid. He's lucky he's cute._ ' She thought to herself. She even felt annoyed for Quinn. How inconsiderate could one person be? The blonde put her heart and soul into that song and those lyrics, why in the world would she want the subject of the song to sing it. That's rule number one in the Taylor Swift handbook. Don't let exs sing your songs.

Quinn looked furious. "No way in hell are you singing this song!" She said cold and evenly. The HBIC was back and everyone was afraid.

"Why not? Everyone knows that we are the best duet partners. Do you want to win or not?" He really did look confused, but it really wasn't very endearing to Rachel. Quinn poured her heart out over their breakup and he wanted to throw that in her face by having him sing it with another woman. That either took a large set of balls or he was the biggest moron that she had come across. Unfortunately Rachel had to go with the latter.

"You idiot, the song is about you!" Santana shouted, looking like she was going to strangle him.

Mr. Schue stepped in the middle before things could heat up. "Sorry Finn but Quinn said no." He was about to say something but the teacher put his hand up. "Quinn is being nice enough to let us use her songs; the least we can do is go by her wishes." Finn started muttering to himself but didn't cause another scene. Mr. Schue turned back to Quinn, giving her a friendly smile. "Quinn, that was another excellent song and we would be honored to use it. Do you have anyone in mind to sing it?"

Quinn thought it over for a minute. "Rachel." Now everyone looked stunned, including Rachel.

"Me." She stated, pointing at herself. Quinn hated her, she was the reason her and Finn broke up in the first place.

Quinn looked away in embarrassment. Clearly all this expressing of her emotions was making her feel awkward. "You do have the best voice. I worked really hard on this piece and you're the only one that can properly do it justice. I noticed that you were practically salivating at the opportunity to sing it."

Rachel had the decency to blush, but she really didn't feel worthy. This song was so personal for Quinn. It just wouldn't feel right. "I'll only sing it if you sing it with me." Now it was Quinn's turn to look stunned. "It wouldn't be right for me to sing it all by myself. You worked really hard on this."

"Rachel Berry sharing her spotlight with someone else, the world is coming to an end." Mercedes loudly whispered to Kurt and Tina who giggled in response. The brunette glared at them.

Mr. Schue smiled brightly and clapped his hands. "That's settled then. Rachel and Quinn are singing a duet of _Elastic Heart_. Now what's the last song Santana?"

Santana handed the other sheet music to Quinn, who was starting to get ready to play the music. Brittany bounced around happily. "I picked this one! It's called _Ghost_."

" _I keep going to the river to pray_

 _'Cause I need something that can wash out the pain_

 _And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away_

 _But your ghost, the ghost of you_

 _It keeps me awake_

Everyone looked a little impressed with this one so far. They were bobbing their heads to the beat.

 _My friends had you figured out_

 _Yeah, they saw what's inside of you_

 _You tried hiding another you_

 _But your evil was coming through_

 _These eyes sitting on the wall_

 _They watch every move I make_

 _Bright light living in the shade_

 _Your cold heart makes my spirit shake_

 _I had to go through hell to prove I'm not insane_

 _Had to meet the devil just to know his name_

 _And that's when my love was burning_

 _Yeah, it's still burning_

Quinn was smiling brightly as she was singing the music, really getting into it. Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt all raced around the piano to look over the sheet music as they all sang the next part.

 _I keep going to the river to pray_

 _'Cause I need something that can wash out the pain_

 _And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away_

 _But your ghost, the ghost of you_

 _It keeps me awake_

Everyone was getting into the song as Mercedes and Santana started throwing in some riffs here and there, and Rachel let out a particularly high note and held it for a while. Quinn threw a look over her shoulder at Brittany, telling her to go on with the next part. Brittany grinned broadly and started singing.

 _Each time that I think you're gone_

 _I turn around and you're creeping in_

 _And I let you under my skin_

 _Guess I love living in the sin_

 _Oh you never told me_

 _True love was gonna hurt_

 _True pain I don't deserve_

 _Truth is that I never learn_

They sang the chorus again before Quinn looked at Tina, letting her know to take the next verse. Tina looked excited to be finally singing something for a change and not standing in the background.

 _Give up the ghost_

 _Give up the ghost_

 _Give up the ghost_

 _No more haunting baby_

 _I keep going to the river_

The guys were all looking super excited as even they started to join in on the singing, by now being well versed with the chorus.

 _I keep going to the river to pray_

 _'Cause I need something that can wash out the pain_

 _And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away_

 _But your ghost, the ghost of you_

 _It keeps me awake_

Everyone started clapping and cheering. Artie yelled at the top of his lungs. "We are so going to win!" Everyone started cheering louder, patting Quinn on the back and thanking her.

* * *

Rachel was smiling to herself as Mr. Schue went to see if they placed in the top ten or not. The performance couldn't have gone any better. The guys went first singing _Welcome To New York_ with the girls being backup singers. Everyone was even dancing on point, which was saying something for Finn and Mercedes. Rachel was looking at the judges occasionally to gauge their reactions, whenever she saw one bop their head then she knew that they were enjoying it.

Towards the end of the song, Finn went over to her and it looked like he was going to kiss her. She stared at him frozen, wondering what the hell he was thinking. Just when he was about to touch her lips, she felt a harsh push from her side. She fell forward a little bit and glared at Santana who had a devious smirk on her face. The Latina just waved her hand in a shooing motion before whispering harshly, "No way in hell are you two ruining Q's and the rest of ours big night.'

She remembered sobering up slightly at the reminder before she composed herself and turned to face Quinn, who was on the other side of the stage. She was looking at her expectantly and she could see in her eyes that she was nervous. Really well done makeup was covering her face, because she didn't think that it would go over well if she looked like she just walked out of a bar fight. Rachel felt guilt wash over her because she almost blew their chances at placing in the top ten and making an embarrassment out of Quinn's songs. She also felt a slow burning anger at Finn for trying to make this whole event about him. The brunette knew that kissing on stage is highly unprofessional so Finn must have known as well. Even if he didn't, he still would have dragged her down and potentially damage her chances at stardom. People wouldn't take her seriously if she pulled a stunt like that.

She squared her shoulders and walked with purpose towards the middle of the stage and sang the beginning words to _Elastic Heart_. Really it was a wonderful performance; her voice went so well with Quinn's. She was a little surprised when she didn't drown out the blonde's voice when she really got into the song. She remembered Mr. Schue telling her that she had a problem with that whenever she sang with someone else. The song finished without a hitch and the audience was clapping with renewed vigor, some even whistling loudly.

Then the final performance came and everyone took their places to sing _Ghost_. All the girls were taking turns singing that one, with everyone coming together to sing the chorus. It all sounded like a wonderful church choir and once the performance was done, everyone was on their feet.

Rachel felt pride swirl in her chest, knowing that this was her first standing ovation in New York City. Hopefully she would have many more to come soon.

Now Rachel was nervously watching Mr. Schue scan the list of the top ten. She was holding her hands together in front of her chest and bouncing on the balls of her feet. She couldn't take this anymore.

Suddenly Mr. Schue's voice broke out of the nervous energy. "Quinn, come over here." Everyone looked towards the back where Quinn was. The blonde looked more nervous than anyone else, as she let go of her dress that she was clinging tightly too. She ran a hand through her hair, took a deep breathe, and walked to the show choir director.

He pointed at the sheet and made sure that Quinn was looking at it before he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks to you we're in the top five!" He shouted with glee. Quinn just looked flabbergasted; not really believing what she was hearing or seeing. Everyone else jumped into action, screaming and cheering. Rachel was sure that she saw Santana wipe a tear from her eye but maybe she was seeing things.

Puck and Sam grabbed Quinn, who was still staring at the board in disbelief, and hoisted her on their shoulders. Soon a chant of "Quinn" could be heard throughout the room as other glee clubs were either cheering or hanging their heads in disappointment.

A voice came over the loud speaker. "Can the top ten show choirs please meet in the front lobby in ten minutes?"

The boys put Quinn down and everyone marched to the front of the desk. The New Directions all had a determined look in their eyes. As they stood there waiting, Mr. Schue was giving them a pep talk. "Okay guys one more round and the National title is ours. This is two years in the making. We can't come up short now, we've worked too hard." He glared at Dustin Goolsby who was drinking from a flask and looked like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

One of the judges stood on top of a chair with a microphone in their hands. "Okay everyone is here. Now we decided to do something new this year than in previous years." Everyone was looking around in surprise. "We're going to be doing a blitz round that will determine our winner. Each team has three hours to perfect one song for their team to sing." Rachel smirked proudly. This sounded like a piece of cake. "You can't perform the same song and you must stick to the theme from last round." Now Rachel could start to feel panic coursing through her veins. How can they write a song that fast? It's impossible. "Each group will be directed to their own little studio. Under no circumstances are you to leave the room. Once the door is closed no one can enter. Someone will be guarding your door so if you attempt to leave then your whole team will be disqualified. Your time starts now."

All hell broke loose as all the groups were starting to scramble to find their guide to lead them to their room. Someone even managed to punch Jesse in the stomach and while he was recovering, everyone left him in the dust. He really wasn't much help anyway.

Soon they made it to their room. The last one to come in was Mercedes who was huffing and puffing, and clutching her side in pain. Mr. Schue made sure that all members were accounted for and then he closed the door.

"Well this seems like a pretty daunting task." He commented more to himself than anyone else. "Quinn, do you have any more finished songs that we can borrow?"

"Well I have a few but they really aren't show choir material. I know we won't win with them." She stated while everyone else started to freak out.

Finn went over to the drum set and sat down. He looked like a bundle of nerves. "Do you have your binder?"

A look of guilt crossed her face. "No I left it in the hotel room. If I knew that this was going to happen, I would have brought it with me."

"How can you be so careless?!" He shouted at her. He stood up and kicked the seat in a rage. It went flying across the room and hit the wall with a loud bang.

Quinn looked pissed; Rachel hadn't seen that look for a long time. Wait a minute. Now that she thought about it, Quinn had that look two weeks ago singing with Finn, and then last week when he broke up with her. Maybe that was her 'I'm pissed at Finn and he's going to pay face'? She needed to look into that. "At least I wasn't trying to sabotage us. You almost blew our chances at winning!"

"I did not!"

"Oh, really now. So that wasn't you trying to kiss Rachel on stage." She smiled cruelly and laughed, the mirth not quite reaching her eyes. "I know that constipated face you make when you're about to kiss someone."

' _Hmmm…now that I think about it he really does make that face._ ' Rachel thought to herself, not in the least bit turned on by that. ' _No wonder I always feel slightly uncomfortable when we're about to kiss._ '

Finn was ready to storm over to Quinn, his fists were clenched and his face was beat red. Puck and Mike stood in front of him to intercept him, grabbing his arms and pulling him back. Sam decided to stand in front of Quinn in case the boys weren't enough to hold him back.

"I knew you were jealous of us! That's why you wouldn't let me sing with Rachel! That was my duet!" Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in disgust. The girls just groaned and shook their heads. This was really getting old.

"Jealous?! As if. I'm doing Rachel a favor. She's better off singing with someone that can actually look out for her rather than some lumbering giant that knocks into her every time he walks." Finn looked like he could throttle Quinn at any moment. He tried to get out of Puck and Mike's grip but it was no use.

Everyone else was just looking at Quinn in surprise. Did she just defend Rachel? Surely they misunderstood.

Rachel looked stunned. Quinn Fabray defending her? She couldn't help it; she reached for her arm and pinched herself. When she felt the pain, she realized that this was not a dream and the blonde really was sticking up for her and insulting Finn. ' _I don't even know what to think. Maybe she's so mad that she doesn't know what she's even saying._ '

"That's enough!" Mr. Schue shouted over Finn's screaming. "We're wasting time. Now we have less than three hours to write, sing and come up with choreography."

After a while Finn calmed down and sat across the room, glaring at Quinn the whole time. Meanwhile the blonde decided Finn wasn't worth her time and walked over to the piano, taking a seat.

Once Mr. Schue was sure that a fight wouldn't break out, he turned to Quinn. "Do you have anything we can use?"

"I was writing a song after the funeral. It's not done but I do have the melody and the chorus. I've been stuck on it for a while."

"Maybe we can help you?" Rachel offered trying to be helpful. "There is no I in team."

Santana snorted from her spot on the floor next to Brittany. "Leave it to Berry to make this whole thing even lamer."

Time was being wasted so instead of responding, Rachel stared at Quinn. "Come on Quinn you're our only chance at winning." Everyone nodded in agreement.

In response the blonde turned to the piano and started getting ready to play. "Don't judge, it's a work in progress." Then she started playing a beautiful melody.

" _It's been a long day without you, my friend_

 _And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again_

 _We've come a long way from where we began_

 _Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again_

 _When I see you again_

 _(Hey)_

Rachel was really listening to the song trying to figure out what was missing. The melody was really good and what she was hearing sounded awesome, but the blonde was right, the song was missing something.

 _So let the light guide your way, yeah_

 _Hold every memory as you go_

 _And every road you take, will always lead you home, home_

Rachel noticed that Artie was scribbling furiously on a pad of paper as Quinn sang the chorus again. Everyone looked to be in the same predicament that she was in.

The blonde finished the song; her face looked a little frustrated. "See! It's missing something."

"It does seem rather short." Rachel responded, making Quinn groan in frustration. While the blonde seemed furious, it was nice to know that she was this passionate about something. It was endearing.

The rest of the group seemed to come to the same conclusion though they didn't really provide any help. Even Mr. Schue wasn't sure what could be added to the song.

"I have an idea." Artie exclaimed, holding his piece of paper. He rolled over to Quinn, with a grin on his face. "Just play the song." He stated.

Quinn started playing the music again. Artie waited a few minutes before he went in with a rap.

" _Damn, who knew?_

 _All the planes we flew_

 _Good things we've been through_

 _That I'll be standing right here talking to you_

 _'Bout another path_

 _I know we loved to hit the road and laugh_

 _But something told me that it wouldn't last_

 _Had to switch up_

 _Look at things different, see the bigger picture_

 _Those were the days_

 _Hard work forever pays_

 _Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)_

 _Uh_

 _How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?_

 _Everything I went through you were standing there by my side_

 _And now you gon' be with me for the last ride_

Quinn had a thoughtful look on her face as she sang the chorus, with Artie coming in here and there repeating what she just sang. Then he signaled for her to pause while he went into another verse.

 _First you both go out your way_

 _And the vibe is feeling strong_

 _And what's small turn to a friendship_

 _A friendship turn to a bond_

 _And that bond will never be broken_

 _The love will never get lost (and the love will never get lost)_

 _And when brotherhood come first_

 _Then the line will never be crossed_

 _Established it on our own_

 _When that line had to be drawn_

 _And that line is what we reach_

 _So remember me when I'm gone (remember me when I'm gone)_

 _How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?_

 _Everything I went through you were standing there by my side_

 _And now you gon' be with me for the last ride"_

Quinn finished up the song and looked at Artie, her hazel eyes shining bright. She reached over and hugged him. "That's what the song was missing! It all makes sense to me now."

Artie blushed at the contact, chuckling to himself. "If all else fails throw in a rap. It works for every other song."

Mr. Schue clapped his hands in happiness. "Okay so does everyone agree that this is the song were doing?" The group nodded their heads. "Good. Quinn and Artie work out the arrangement. Mike and Brittany start doing some choreography. Mercedes and Kurt fix up everyone's makeup and clothes. Everyone else standby for now." He looked down at his watch. "We have a little over an hour left."

Everyone quickly went down to business.

* * *

The stage was quiet as the announcer started calling off the judges results. Rachel was a bundle of nerves, she was standing between Kurt and Quinn, and she was holding their hands as hard as she can. It was just between them and Vocal Adrenaline. She really couldn't believe it.

"And the winners of the National Show Choir Championship are…" He opened the envelope, everyone held their breaths. "From Lima, Ohio give it up for the new champions, New Directions!"

Applauses could be heard from the audience as everyone around her started screaming. Rachel quickly let go of Kurt's hand and pulled Quinn into a huge hug. "Thank you for helping us win!"

To her extreme surprise, Quinn hugged her back just as fiercely. Maybe it was the adrenaline? "Thank you for believing in my songs." She whisper-shouted in her ear.

They pulled apart and before Rachel could say anything else, she was pulled into another hug by Kurt and Mercedes.

She really did love New York.

(A/N This is going to be Faberry, though it might be a while before it actually happens. This story is of course going to be AU and pretty different from the actual show. I don't really have a plan but a few ideas in my head. For the most part it will be an alternate version of Season 3 and the story will probably end at the end of Season 3. Just in case you're wondering how many chapters this could be.

I'm still trying to ease back into writing so let me know what you think. I don't think anyone has used this plot in a Faberry story but I could be wrong. Please read and review!

Also the songs are not mine nor will they ever be. They are in order of appearance: _Welcome To New York_ By: Taylor Swift _; Elastic Heart_ By: Sia; _Ghost_ By: Ella Henderson; and _See You Again_ By: Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa. Hopefully I won't throw in that many songs again but you never know it is Glee.

Here is my rant: I really hated that Lucy storyline. It added nothing to Quinn's character and it made me hate Lauren, who I liked up until that episode aired. I really was hoping that it was some crazy scheme that Quinn did come up with because that would have made more sense, character wise. I will admit that some FanFiction writers have written beautiful stories that talked about the Lucy storyline, but I just didn't want to. Rant over.


	2. Sex Sells

(A/N Thank you all for all the reviews and the critiques, they are always welcome and I will consider them as I continue on. I know my spelling isn't the greatest sometimes. Normally I just read past the mistake without really realizing that I made one until the dang thing is posted. It happens.)

(This is a revised version of Chapter 2)

 **Chapter 2: Sex Sells**

Rachel was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom, brushing her hair. Butterflies were swirling around in her stomach. Today was the first day of her senior year. One more year and she will be on her way to an amazing school in New York.

Once New Directions came back to McKinley High School after winning the National Show Choir Championship, it was like they were treated like celebrities. Everyone moved out of their ways in the hallway and some were even asking for her autograph. No wonder Quinn tried so hard to stay as the Head Cheerio, it's really easy to get used to this. Though, anything is better than the constant slushies.

Speaking of Quinn, word got out that she wrote all of their songs and soon she was getting bombarded by people in the hallways asking her to write a song for them. The blonde seemed to be a little uncomfortable whenever someone called out there undying love for her, but she did take the boost to her popularity in stride. Of course she was nominated MVP for essentially saving the day, but she refused to take the little bedazzled award that Rachel made especially for her. That didn't mean that she didn't stick it in her bag when she wasn't looking.

Kurt and Blaine decided to take the next step in their relationship by saying that they loved each other. Rachel and Kurt also took their friendship into the next level by proclaiming that they are now best friends instead of frenemies. Sam and Mercedes was a thing for minute but then he moved to another school. It seemed like Brittany and Artie were officially done because on the last day of school Rachel saw the blonde and Santana looking extremely comfortable in each other's arms. Even Puck and Lauren were still together, though no one understood their relationship.

That brought her to her next dilemma, Finn. Throughout the rest of the school year, he begged, pleaded and yelled about them getting back together. Rachel wasn't very sure that they should get back together, but she felt so bad that she told him to let her think about it over summer break. He agreed reluctantly, but that didn't mean he wasn't texting her almost every single day, asking for her to give him a chance.

She sighed because even now she wasn't very sure that they should. She wasn't denying that Finn's heart was all in it, but what would happen once they get back together? Will he still keep up with his insistent texting and proclamation's that he loved her or will he go back to how things were before. Back when they were dating it was almost impossible for Finn to say that he loved her in public or text her anything besides K. He didn't even have the decency to spell out the whole word. He knew how much she detested text speak. There's a reason the English language was created and it wasn't so that teenagers can butcher it because they are too lazy to press a couple extra buttons.

' _Maybe I should tell him no._ ' she thought as she changed into the outfit that she picked out a week in advance. ' _I should use this year to stay away from relationships and focus more on getting into an excellent college. This is a onetime chance to change my whole life. I shouldn't waste that on trying to make Finn happy._ '

With her thoughts reaffirmed, she looked into the mirror again. Satisfied by what she was seeing, she grinned broadly, and grabbed her backpack. "Senior year here I come." She stated confidently.

She walked out of the room and down the stairs. Kurt was picking her up because they decided to start the year off together. Since he wasn't here yet, she decided to grab a quick bite to eat.

Leroy and Hiram were sitting at the kitchen table when she walked in. Hiram was reading the New York Times, while Leroy was working on a crossword puzzle. She kissed both of them on the cheek before she sat down and made herself a plate. Even though her dad, Leroy, was not vegan, he fully supported his husband and daughter's way of life as long as he didn't have to give up his steaks. She grabbed a few stacks of vegan pancakes and started digging in.

Hiram put down his newspaper and smiled widely at Rachel. "So honey, are you excited for your senior year?"

Rachel made sure to chew and swallow before she responded. "Definitely. Hopefully with us winning last year, our popularity will rise and more people will join the club."

Her fathers looked at each other worriedly, making her look at them confused. "Don't have your hopes too high. Most high schools aren't fans of the arts. When I was in choir, I remember being picked on." Hiram said.

Rachel was afraid that that was going to happen. I mean most of the kids at school were pretty narrow minded and really couldn't see past sports. "It doesn't matter, I'll still be in glee club, popularity or not."

"That's the spirit." Leroy said, smiling at her. They went back to eating for a few minutes before he decided to speak again. "So what's going on with Finn?"

She finished up her meal and pushed her plate away. "Not much really. He wants us to get back together and he's really trying, but I don't think I want to." She loved the fact that she was so close to her fathers. Secrets were unheard of in this house, everyone just spoke their minds.

Leroy looked a little too relieved at that. "That's alright honey. You should be focusing more on your studies and just enjoying your senior year. You only get one."

The doorbell rang, letting Rachel know that Kurt was here. She wished her fathers a good day, and headed towards the front door. She opened the door and froze on the spot.

Standing on her front porch was Finn and Kurt. Finn was looking at her with his usual puppy dog expression and smiling big, while Kurt was standing a little behind him mouthing, "I'm sorry he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Rachel smiled brightly, even though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Thoughts of murdering Kurt came into her head. She was not looking forward to this. "Finn, I didn't think that you were joining us."

He shrugged his shoulders a little. "Well I wanted to start this year out right." Rachel walked out of the house and shut the door. They went to the car but before she could open her door, Finn stepped in front of her and opened it for her.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She smiled politely at him and got inside. The car ride was uneventful since everyone was too nervous to even talk. Once they pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, Finn asked her to wait a minute.

Kurt looked at her expectantly, silently asking her if she needed any help. She shook her head no, but, before he left, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, offering her his support. She smiled at him weakly then she turned to Finn.

He was nervously messing with his hands and his smile looked anxious. "I know you said to give you time but summer is over now. Have you decided yet?"

Rachel took a deep breath and braced herself. She knew that this wasn't going to end well. She figured the indirect approach would not work with Finn since it hadn't in the past, so she summoned up all of her courage and dived right in. "Finn, I thought long and hard about this and I have decided to stay single and work on me."

The dejected look on his face made her wince. It looked like someone just kicked his puppy and shattered his dreams all at once. "But why? I love you Rach and we're so good together."

Internally she groaned, because dragging this out was only going to hurt him in the long run. "I need to focus on myself this year. I don't need any distractions."

The sad look was suddenly replaced with anger. "A distraction! Is that all I am to you!" It was said as more of a statement than an actual question.

"No of course not, but I need to think about my career."

He scoffed in disbelief. "So what exactly are you trying to say then? That if you're with me than I'll only drag you down." Finn stared at Rachel waiting for a reply, but, when he was met with silence, he just shook his head. "Unbelievable, you know what forget that I ever tried to win you back. I now know what you really want and apparently it's not me. Have a nice life, Rachel."

Finn stormed off, leaving Rachel standing there, feeling terrible. What a way to start off senior year.

* * *

Currently Rachel was sitting in the middle risers of the choir room; next to her was Kurt who was rubbing her arm in support. Word got around fast and it was no surprise to the rest of the club when Finn came in, glared at Rachel and sat as far away as possible from her.

Other than the morning with Finn, everything else seemed to be going well. It seemed like the popularity from the end of the school year last year was still in effect because no one was slushied. On the other hand, no one walked out of her way in the hallways either. It seemed like the Glee Club was in a delicate balance between the loser club that they were in the past or being as popular as the Cheerios and Jocks.

Speaking of Cheerios, apparently Santana and Brittany decided to go back to Coach Sylvester's abusive ways of teaching. The Latina was even the co-captain along with Becky.

Which made Rachel wonder where Quinn was? No one had seen her today, and that included the other two members of the Unholy Trinity. Rachel hadn't seen much of Quinn at all over the summer. She remembered her saying that she was visiting her sister in California, but other than that no sign of her.

"Okay guys we may have won last year but this is a whole new year. Our popularity may have risen but we are still three members short." Mr. Schue told them.

"Yeah that's because Puck here couldn't get Zizes to stay." Santana commented harshly.

Puck threw his hands up in defense. "It's not my fault. She said something about wanting to stay on top and glee club will only drag her down." Everyone looked at Puck accusingly. "She was the one that got away, really, really slowly."

"Where's Quinn?" Tina asked out loud.

"MIA." Artie responded to the group. "No one's heard from her. It's sad, I miss her." Everyone looked sad and Brittany started pouting.

The sounds of hurried footsteps could be heard and suddenly the blonde in question rushed through the door. She sucked in a breath and everyone was looking at her in surprise. "Sorry I'm late but my flight was delayed and I just got back."

"Shit Fabray you're looking good today." Puck exclaimed, wagging his eyebrows, completely getting over his earlier funk with Zizes.

Quinn glared at him, but Rachel would have to agree the blonde looked stunning. Her hair looked a little longer than it did the last time she saw her and she was wearing smoky makeup. She was wearing a red button up shirt, with a black leather jacket, formfitting black jeans, a white belt, and black boots.

"I have to agree. I really like your outfit." Tina said to her.

Quinn looked down at herself before waving off her comment. "Oh this? I was just wearing something comfortable for the plane ride. I didn't really have any time to change into something else."

Kurt leaned over to whisper in Rachel's ear. "Only Quinn Fabray can look sexy while she's trying to be comfortable. It's not really fair." Rachel covered her mouth and giggled. He did have a point, whenever she goes for comfortable it's not normally something she would want other people to see.

"You've been in Cali for a month and your ass is still pale. Did you even step outside?" Santana rudely said, making the blonde scowl at her.

Mr. Schue decided to intervene at this point, not wanting to start the year off on a sour note. "Okay that's enough now. Quinn welcome back." Quinn smiled at the teacher before she walked over to the seat next to Santana, making sure to elbow the Latina as soon as she sat down. "You guys can ask her how her summer was after the meeting."

That was when he went into this week's lesson which was the Purple Piano Project. It seemed like an interesting enough idea, but Rachel wasn't sure that it was going to get people to join. They'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

Coach Beiste looked at the clock hanging on the gym wall, five more minutes until the bell rang. She looked at some of the senior girls that were standing around until class began. Internally she was cursing Sue, who was too busy to teach today. It's only the second day of school, she sighed, thinking that this was a sign for things to come.

She had a lot of better things to do today than teach girl's gym class. She already got done with the boys earlier and this was her free period to lift weights, eat one of her chickens or think about her current predicament with the football team.

If this summer training was anything to go by, they would be lucky to even make playoffs. A lot of her good players either graduated or transferred. The players that she did have were underwhelming to say the least. Hudson kept dropping the ball every other play, Chang kept looking at his girlfriend in the stands and missing a tackle, and Puckerman was so out of shape, or hung over she really wasn't sure, that he threw up on the 40 yard line. At this point she was desperate for some fresh blood.

"Quinn, look, this is our senior year and the Cheerios isn't the same without you." Coach Beiste looked off to the side to see Lopez, Pierce, and Fabray. The Latina was trying to convince Fabray to rejoin the Cheerios. To be honest, she was a little surprised herself that Fabray wasn't back on the team already. She was the captain when the Cheerios won the National Championship two years in a row.

Fabray crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "You guys are suckers for going back to Coach Sylvester."

Lopez and Pierce looked at Fabray pleadingly. Pierce even grabbed her arm and started shaking her.

"Screw her, we're doing this so that we can win two National Championships this year." Lopez replied with an air of arrogance.

"Come on Quinn we're the three musketeers. Besties for life. We've always been on the same team together." Pierce pouted at Fabray.

She looked a little unsure before she shook her head and her face returned to cool and impassive. "You guys have no idea the kind of pressure I was under." Coach Beiste could understand where she was coming from; Sue did seem a little ruthless when it came to winning. "Besides I told you that this is a new start for me. I'm going to be doing things that I want to do from now on. No one else is going to be telling me how to live my life."

The two sighed in defeat and the bell rang. Coach Beiste was a little impressed with Fabray's integrity, from what she heard about the girl, she was mean and power hungry. To turn down something that would guarantee her instant power was a little surprising.

"Okay girls I'm filling in for Coach Sylvester for today." A few clapped at that. "Today is going to be the yearly physicals." Groans could be heard from around the gym. "Cut it out. Let's go out on the field."

A half hour later and Coach Beiste realized why she hated coaching girls. They whined way too much, especially Berry and Jones. She did have to give Sue some credit; because she organized the lineup so that the worst from last year could go first and the best was saved for last. It actually really helped with time management. In the girl's defense, this course did look a little harder than the guys. There were hurdles of varying heights and obstacles like tire jumping, wall climbing, and army rope climbing. It looked a lot like a marine course than something that normal high schools are accustomed too.

Jones just ran past her and Coach Beiste sighed at her time. "9 minutes and 45 seconds. You're about half a second worse than last time. I'm going to have to dock a minute for skipping the wall altogether." The girl collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. She turned to look at Berry who was also panting hard. "See if she's alright and get her a water bottle."

It was a good thing that they have other talents because if life was based on athletic ability then they were screwed. Berry did do a lot better than Jones and even best her time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds by about 10 seconds.

A few Cheerios and other girls ran the course, doing better than the other two, but it wasn't anything spectacular or good. She noticed quite a few making some mistakes including the Cheerios. Coach Sylvester would have had a field day at seeing that.

"Okay Lopez you're up." Coach Beiste started her timer and the girl ran. She was pretty impressed by her run, even though she did mess up a few times on the hurdles. She ran past the coach not even breaking a sweat or panting. "2 minutes and 45 seconds. You did better by about 5 seconds."

The Latina groaned in response, confusing the coach. "Coach Sylvester is going to kill me." She didn't bother asking because she knew how insane Sue can be. She would have thought that it was impressive, especially since everyone else has done so poorly but oh well. That's what you get for signing up for the Cheerios.

She reset her stopwatch and looked at Pierce. "Pierce you're up." Brittany shot out like a bat out of hell. She did end up making a few mistakes and was a little hung up by the rope ladder, but after she ran past her she looked at the stopwatch in amazement. "1 minute and 56 seconds. You beat your original time by half a second." Pierce cheered in happiness, hugging Lopez, who blushed a little at the contact.

Damn would she kill to have someone like that on her team. Think of all the touchdowns that could be made possible. She sighed wishfully, if only Sue allowed her Cheerios to join other teams. Shannon wasn't against a girl joining, hell those glee girls played for her at the championship and she had a kid in a wheelchair on the team. At this point she would take anyone with the talent.

"Okay Fabray you're the last one up." The blonde ran quickly, not as fast as Brittany, but Coach Beiste also noticed that she wasn't making any mistakes. It was like she was taking her time and thinking about each obstacle before she reached it. She was a little hung up on the rope but overall it was a good performance. She ran past her, and, just like Lopez and Pierce, she wasn't even breathing hard or breaking a sweat. No wonder Sue boasted about her Cheerios being the best, they were primed athletes. "2 minutes and 13 seconds. You did better by 4 seconds."

Fabray pumped her fist up in the air and smiled cockily at Lopez who glared at her. Pierce hugged the blonde in congrats. "Yay we're all awesome." Berry and Jones just scowled at them, still panting.

Coach Beiste was staring intently at Fabray. Replaying the conversation she heard earlier in her head. ' _Maybe I can poach her away from Sue. It would just be criminal to let an athlete like that not play any sports._ ' It was not unheard of to have a girl play football on an all guys team and it was not against school rules. She looked it over in case a girl really did want to try out. Fabray might be just what the team needed to kick them back into high gear.

"Ladies hit the showers." Everyone was getting ready to head back into the gym. "Fabray, do you have a minute?" She looked confused but she nodded her head and stayed where she was. Her two friends looked at her questionably before shrugging their shoulders and heading back.

Once everyone was gone, Fabray looked over at Coach Beiste. "What's up Coach?"

Shannon made sure that she looked completely serious when she asked the girl this or she might think that this was a joke. "I noticed that you're no longer on the Cheerios." Fabray nodded her head in reply still not really understanding what she wanted. "Seeing you out on the field and knowing about your past as Head Cheerio, I was wondering if you would be interested in trying out for the football team on Friday?"

The blonde widened her eyes in surprise. "I'm flattered but is it even okay to let girls on the team?"

Coach Beiste smiled to herself; it wasn't a direct no, so that was something. "I already looked into it in case a girl wanted to join the team. And you remember what happened last year."

Fabray nodded in understanding but still didn't look convinced. "Are you sure you want to make Coach Sylvester angry?" At her confused look, she elaborated. "She has a hard time letting things go."

"I'll worry about Sue. So is that a yes?"

"I wouldn't even know what to try out for."

It seems like she might have her. "We can figure it out." She still looked to be on the fence. So she decided to use the used car salesmen approach. "It would be an absolute waste to not show off your athleticism and I wouldn't pressure you to do anything that you're not comfortable with. Who knows maybe a scout might be interested in giving you a scholarship for one of their sports programs."

That caught her attention. It was a little bit dirty to use the conversation that she had no business overhearing against her; but she was desperate. "So you wouldn't make me cleanse every day?"

Shannon was pretty familiar with what she was asking. She saw what the Cheerios were forced to consume and she felt bad for them. It was a gross blend and to drink it every day… Yuck! "I'm sure you've seen Hudson's and Puckerman's diet?" She joked, making Fabray laugh a little. That was a good sign. "As long as you stay in shape for the season I really don't care what you eat. Just think about it for now. Try outs are after school this Friday. If you show up or don't I'll have my answer."

Fabray nodded her head. "Okay." She walked off towards the school.

Coach Beiste couldn't help but smile. Fabray seemed interested enough. Hopefully she'll come on Friday. Thinking about the golden opportunity that she was handed, she says to no one in particular. "Maybe I should sub for Sue more often."

* * *

Rachel was standing in the cafeteria glaring at everyone at the table. The purple piano was seen off to the side. She pointed at it. "How can you guys just ignore the purple piano in the room?"

Everyone looked a little bit uncomfortable. "It was wrong for Mr. Schue to put that there in the first place." Mercedes stated.

Artie nodded his head in agreement. "We've just became popular. Do you really want to ruin that?"

She was growing impatient with everyone. "It would be wrong of us to just ignore it."

Kurt stood up next to the brunette. "Rachel's right, besides people like us now."

"Let's do the number that we rehearsed earlier."

Quinn started looking at her phone. "Look at the time. Sorry guys count me out." She stood up to leave, grabbing her lunch tray.

Rachel glared at her, she knew the blonde's tactic's by now. She was trying to get out of this. "Quinn you can't leave now. You have a part in the song." Rachel exclaimed. "We need your Belinda Carlisle glamour and your tremulous alto."

"Sorry but I have to talk to Miss. Pillsbury about colleges." Quinn smoothly explained. "Have Brittany sing my parts." The blonde in question seemed excited by that notion.

The brunette sighed in frustration because what was she really going to do about it? It just made her sad that Quinn still couldn't be courageous enough to put her popularity on the line. On the other hand if Quinn was in fact telling her the truth then who was she to force her to put her college aspirations on the back burner? "Fine, have fun."

"Good luck, guys." Quinn said before she left the room. Everyone glared at her as she walked away.

"Okay are you all ready?" Rachel asked.

"Why does Quinn get out of it and the rest of us can't?!" Mercedes shouted, dunking one of her beloved tots in ketchup and sticking it in her mouth.

"Because she has an excuse." Rachel stated.

Santana muttered, "Yeah right." Making the brunette glare at her, she couldn't believe these people.

"Come on guys, our leader has spoken." Puck stated, getting everyone up. Rachel shot him a smile as everyone took their places.

* * *

It was considered the biggest case of social suicide that McKinley High had ever seen. Or at least that was what Jacob Ben Israel said in his blog about the event.

Rachel decided to eat in the auditorium today because it took her 4 hours to get the smell of spaghetti out of her hair and she wasn't ready for a repeat performance. She really had hoped that the school turned over a new leaf and was past all the bullying, but once she saw Mercedes and Tina get slushied later that day, she knew that they were on the bottom of the social ladder again.

Even worse was that no one bothered to audition except for Al Motta's daughter, Sugar, who was the worst singer that she had ever heard. She watched American Idol so that was saying something.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming her way; they stopped when they reached the end of her aisle. "Mind if I join you?"

Rachel looked to her left to see Quinn looking at her, waiting for a reply. "I'm not sure. Don't you have to meet Miss. Pillsbury today?"

She watched Quinn wince slightly at her remark and bite her lip, looking really guilty. "I guess I deserved that."

The brunette glared at her, but then she smiled sadly. "Don't bother saying sorry. It's not like the performance was well received anyway. I guess no one cares for the Go-Go's anymore."

"I'm more of a Bangles fan myself." She joked but Rachel didn't bother to reply. She heard her sigh and start walking over to her. Once she reached the seat that was two seats down from Rachel, she sat down. "If it helps I thought that you guys did a good job."

"You're about the only one." She shot back. She decided to change the topic because it hurt too much. With all things considered, at least she tasted popularity even if it was for only a day. "Have you decided where you're going to school?"

Quinn looked away from Rachel and stared at the stage, almost like she was lost in thought. "Not really. Miss. Pillsbury thought that I should apply to Julliard but I'm not sure I want to go into music."

Shock ran through the brunette. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why? You're talented enough and you're songs are so good."

"I had a bad experience when I was in California." She didn't look like she wanted to elaborate so Rachel decided not to try and convince her. It did make her wonder what could have happened to make her doubt herself so much.

She took a deep breathe before she went into one of her infamous Rachel Berry pep talks. "So you had one bad experience, that shouldn't make you give up. Did Elvis give up when they told him to stick with his day job?" Quinn shook her head. "Did Lady Gaga give up when she was dropped from her label?" She stood up, suddenly feeling inspired. "Did Madonna give up when she dropped out of college?" Then she decided to really drive her point home by using one of Quinn's favorite authors. "Did J.K. Rowling give up when she was fired from her job, on welfare, and recently divorced?"

She looked at Quinn, waiting for a reply. The blonde smiled and shook her head. "No she didn't."

Rachel grinned broadly at the blonde. "See then you shouldn't give up." She sat back down and crossed her legs.

Quinn sighed again and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess you're right. It's just I never realized how tough the music industry really is."

She tried to ease Quinn's self-doubt and boost her confidence. "Well you're just going to have to be tougher than them. I'm sure you can manage, you are Quinn Fabray HBIC for a reason."

They both started laughing, Rachel felt better that she could make Quinn laugh. She always did have a nice laugh. The blonde turned to Rachel with a bright smile. "Thanks."

"It's what friends are for." Then she paused, realizing that she overstepped with Quinn. "We are friends aren't we?"

Quinn smiled at the brunette. "Kind of." I guess that was the best she was going to get.

"So then are you going to apply?"

She nodded her head in response. "That doesn't mean that I shouldn't apply to other schools. You never know what they are looking for. What colleges are you thinking about?"

"Oh I'm only going to apply to NYADA." At Quinn's alarmed look, Rachel decided to explain herself. "Kurt and I just want to go to New York and that's the only school that has a musical theatre major."

"That may be true but you could always major in acting or singing." Quinn offered to Rachel. "It's a little foolish to be hoping that NYADA will accept you right off the bat, even if you are the great and talented Rachel Berry." She smiled at the compliment. "You should always have a backup just in case."

She did have a point and what if NYADA was stupid enough to pass on her. What then? She would be stuck here for at least another year. She shuddered at the thought. Maybe her and Kurt needed to rethink their options. "I think you might be onto something."

"Well it wouldn't hurt if you applied to other schools in New York." Quinn replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Rachel clapped her hands together and smiled. "It's settled then. I'll apply to other schools in New York, and you'll apply to Julliard." She said excitedly, making Quinn smile and shake her head.

She really preferred being kind of friends with Quinn instead of being enemies. The blonde always gave her good advice even if she refused to listen to it half the time. She shook her head at the memory of that disastrous time last year when they teamed up to write a song for Regionals. Rachel did remember the blonde telling her that she was too good for Lima even if she looked like she wanted to strangle her when she said it.

"Enough talk about college. Are you going to sing a song this week?" Rachel was still a little peeved that Quinn ditched them. She had a good reason but that still didn't make it right.

Quinn groaned and threw her head back. "Is that the only way you won't stay mad at me?"

Rachel folded her arms across her chest and stared at her. "Yes."

Her face dropped down into her hands. "I guess I have no choice then." Rachel grinned in triumph.

* * *

' _Damn that Rachel Berry. How does she always convince me to do things that I have no intention of doing?_ ' Quinn thought to herself as she closed her locker. She had a free period right now so she decided to head to the choir room and come up with a song choice.

She sighed to herself as guilt washed over her. She decided that this year was going to be different, she was going to start thinking for herself and not what others thought of her, but, in the cafeteria yesterday, she let her old demons take hold of her. Quinn knew that it was social suicide. Being on the top for as long as she was taught her that, but she still should have sung with the others instead of being a coward and leaving them to their fate.

That was one of the reasons that she decided to not rejoin the Cheerios, besides the fact that she really didn't care for it. The only reason she signed up in the first place was because she wanted a scholarship and her sister enjoyed it when she was captain. She wasn't really there for the constant abuse and the horrible cleansers. Of course the popularity was an added bonus but at the end of her tenure as Head Cheerio, she didn't like the person that she was. She was popular and idolized for sure, but she was also ruthless and cruel. At the end of the day sometimes she had a hard time looking at herself in the mirror. If it wasn't for Nationals last year she probably would have continued on that destructive downward spiral, but having everyone love and support something that was so personal to her, ignited a spark that she didn't know was really there.

Honestly, she was dead set on going to school around Lima, settle down with a decent man, and become a real estate agent, but after winning Nationals, settling down just didn't seem right anymore. She always loved writing songs, it was a form of escape from her problems, but she never thought that they were worth anything important, let alone a chance at an actual career. It was like a whole new world of opportunities opened up.

She clenched her fists bitterly, thinking about her trip to California. She told everyone that she was visiting her sister. That was true but it wasn't the main reason she went. A week after Nationals, she received a phone call from someone who worked for a major music studio in L.A., he told her that he saw her performance and thought that his boss would be interested in buying her songs. At first she was on the fence, thinking that it was some kind of joke, but her mother talked her into going. They decided to make a whole vacation out of it since Frannie was living at UCLA trying to earn her Master's degree in business. Judy was also a little worried for her older daughter since she recently got divorced from her husband.

Quinn sighed as she remembered being so nervous and so full of hope, only for her dreams to be shattered.

 _Judy was holding her hand as Ken Banks, one of the biggest music mongrels in the United States, was listening to her mix tape. All the songs that they sung at Nationals were there, along with a few others that she liked._

 _His face was blank and emotionless as he listened to every track. Quinn never felt so nervous in her life. Finally the last song played and the room was silent. Ken looked her straight in the eye. "Miss. Fabray, are you thinking of making a career out of this?"_

 _She wasn't really sure what he was thinking so she went with an honest answer. "I'm not sure."_

" _Good because you should really look into another career path." It felt like someone stabbed her in the heart. He then proceeded to take the cd out, open up his trash lid and threw it in the garbage. "That's where that belongs. You can go now." He dismissed them with a wave of his hand._

 _Tears burned her eyes as she stood up with her mother. She wasn't going to let him see her cry, that's the least she can do. Who was she kidding? She knew that she wasn't good enough._

 _They walked silently to the car, but once they got in, Judy put a comforting hand on her arm. "Quinnie, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Those songs were wonderful."_

 _Quinn shook her arm off and looked out the window. She didn't want to face her mother because she was humiliated and devastated. The only other time she was this heartbroken was when her father kicked her out of the house and disowned her. "Can we just go?" She pleaded, trying not to let her voice crack._

As soon as she got to her sisters apartment, she ran into the room she was staying in, slammed the door, and cried herself to sleep. That was where she stayed for about a week. Frannie and Judy both tried on several occasions to make her feel better, but she refused to listen to them. When Frannie tried to get her to look at her song book, Quinn flipped out and threw it in the garbage, much to the shock of her family.

Eventually Frannie had had enough with Quinn's attitude and pulled her out of bed and forced her into the car, calling it a sister bonding road trip or some other crap.

 _They'd been in the car for over an hour now and Quinn was starting to lose her patience. "Frannie, where are we going?" She demanded not wanting to be here. She would rather just go home to Lima, Ohio and serve her lifetime sentence there, forever living a sad and boring life._

 _Her sister smirked over at her. The sound of a car horn could be heard as she turned her head back to the road and turned sharply to the left, saying in a singsong voice. "You'll see."_

 _Quinn groaned, her sister really was a terrible driver. "Keep your eyes on the road." Running a hand nervously through her hair, she shot out. "I think I preferred you better when you were a miserable housewife." She didn't really mean it but rather she wanted her sister to feel as miserable as her._

 _Frannie frowned at her remark. "Quinn, I know that you're trying to be confrontational on purpose, but please don't bring up my cheating good for nothing ex-husband." Then she started smiling again. "Besides you've always told me that I could do better."_

 _Quinn felt terrible, she knew that that was a sore subject. "Sorry, I'm just not in the greatest mood."_

" _I know, baby sister, that's why we're on this road trip."_

 _Soon her sister was starting to slow down and Quinn realized where they were. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked at the building that destroyed her dreams. "What are we doing here?"_

 _Frannie started pulling into the parking garage on the other side of the street. "Because you have unfinished business." She stopped at the toll and looked at the security guard. Quinn noticed her sister pull out a wad of cash and discreetly hand it to the man._

 _He grabbed the money and flipped a few switches. "You have 20 minutes." Now she was really confused, was her sister taking her on a drug run?_

" _Thank you Reggie." Her sister said politely._

 _Reggie shrugged his shoulders. "It's not the first time and it won't be the last. Figured I'd make a few bucks out of it."_

 _Frannie pulled ahead and weaved through the garage until they reached the top level. She pulled in front of a brand new black Ferrari. She left the car on and stepped out of the car. "Are you coming or not?"_

 _The sign read, 'Reserved for Kenneth Banks' and Quinn was starting to wonder what her sister was planning. She reluctantly got out of the car and looked at her sister wearily. "Why are we here?"_

 _Frannie went to her trunk and pulled out a bat, she also noticed that she was holding a knife. "Some jackass thought that he could crush my baby sister's dreams so I figured that I should crush something of his." Then she walked over to the car and started slashing his tires._

 _Quinn was looking at her horrified; maybe the divorce was starting to mess with her sanity because she has never done anything like this. "What the hell are you doing!?" She loudly whispered afraid that someone was going to see them. "They have cameras for a reason."_

" _Why do you think I paid Reggie? He disabled them." Frannie stated calmly, though the maniacal grin on her face let her know that she was clearly enjoying this. Once she was done with her work, she walked over to Quinn and tried to hand the bat to her, but the younger blonde just held her hands up._

" _Take the bat."_

" _No what you're doing could send us to jail."_

" _Quit being such a spoils sport." Frannie exclaimed, grabbing Quinn's arm and thrusting the bat in her hand. "He doesn't have the right to tell you what you should or should not do. And he doesn't have the right to crush your hopes and dreams. Fabray's never quit!"_

 _Quinn hung her head in sadness at the familiar catchphrase. "That was just something mom always said when we lost. It doesn't mean anything."_

 _Frannie clasped her shoulders and stared her straight in the eye. Miserable hazel eyes looking into determined hazel. "Maybe it was but did we ever quit after that?" Quinn shook her head. "You shouldn't just give up because some artsy fartsy asshole can't tell talent even if it smacked him in the face." She smiled weakly and giggled. "You need to stop letting people define who you are, Quinn." She took a deep shaky breath and smiled sadly at her. "I have the same problem. I need to stop letting Daniel define who I am and go on with my life. And you need to chase after your dreams no matter what. We need to start being truly happy inside and out."_

 _Normally Quinn wasn't one for emotional moments that was more her sisters' style, but she started crying and hugged her sister fiercely. "Thank you." She mumbled into her shoulder._

 _Frannie patted her on the head and hugged back just as tightly. "Us Fabrays need to stick together." Then she pulled away from the hug and looked at her. "Are you ready?"_

 _Quinn nodded her head and gripped the bat, and started walking over to the car. She took a deep breath and pictured Ken Banks' stupid smirking face before she lifted the bat over her head and brought it down hard on the windshield. The alarms started going off, but she didn't let up. Finally letting out all of her frustrations of not only this past week, but also her last couple of years in high school, Quinn started feeling the constant weight of all the bad things that she has done or went through come off of her shoulders._

 _As they were driving out of the lot, they nodded at Reggie who lightly waved at them, not bothering to look up from his magazine. Frannie looked over at Quinn and smiled cockily at her. "Feeling better?"_

 _Quinn smiled brightly at her. "Much, but keep your eyes on the road." The sound of a car horn could be heard as her sister turned her head back to the road and turned sharply to the left. Quinn sighed, somethings never change._

Even though she felt extremely better after that, self-doubt was still plaguing her mind. Ken Banks was one of the top music producers in the country, if he didn't like her music then who's to say that anyone else will? It was her talk earlier with Rachel that helped her remember her beliefs and what she was trying to accomplish this year.

So popularity or becoming a total loser no longer mattered to her so long as she was happy. Even though she might occasionally have a few relapses in judgement, she knew that in the long run she would be happier and try to do the right things.

This brought her to her next dilemma. Should she really tryout for the football team? She had to admit that she liked what Coach Beiste was offering, but could she really do it? On Thanksgiving, she would always participate in the annual flag football game at her grandma's house and she always had fun, but there was a difference between flag and tackle football. It was one thing to have someone rip off a flag but it was a whole other ball game to have a 200 to 300 pound teenage boy charging at you intent on taking you out.

Her mother was no help when she brought it up over dinner last night. Judy just smiled at her and stated, 'Just tell me where to buy the tickets. Whether it is cheerleading, glee club, or football, I'll support you so long as you are happy and safe.' Quinn really loved that her mother was trying to build a better relationship between them, but sometimes she wondered if it was a bad thing that her mother was so supportive now, because at this point she was wondering if she could get away with murder so long as she was 'happy'.

Quinn shook her head from her thoughts as she spotted the door to the choir room. ' _I'll worry about it later. Right now I need to find a song._ ' She heard music and singing coming from the room. She looked inside to see Kurt's boyfriend, his name escapes her, singing _It's Not Unusual_. Currently he was practicing the 'Carlton Dance' and she had to sigh internally. ' _He has a lot of potential, but no one's going to join with that song._ ' A light bulb went off in her head and she smirked. Slowly she opened the door and made her way inside, without him even noticing her presence.

As soon as he was done singing, Quinn started clapping. He jumped a little at the noise but then when he saw her he walked over and held his hand out. "I'm Blaine Anderson, I think we've meet before at Rachel's house."

Quinn winced at the memory of that drunken night and the hangover she had afterwards. ' _Yeah, never drinking again._ ' She smiled and shook his hand. "Quinn Fabray, pleasure to meet you. We weren't properly introduced last time."

He let go of her hand and smiled brightly. He sure was enthusiastic, she'll give him that. "So did you like it? I was thinking of using it to get people to audition while also trying out myself."

"Well it was really good for an audition song." Blaine smiled brightly, as Quinn went to pop his bubble. "Unfortunately it's not going to grab anyone's attention."

Blaine frowned and walked to the risers to take a seat. "I was thinking that myself. Kurt's told me about some of the things that go on around here." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "They don't seem the type to truly appreciate the 'Carlton Dance'."

Quinn laughed and went over to sit next to him. "Probably not. Half of them can't even use proper English."

He chuckled and shook his head. "You're not half bad, Fabray. I don't know what Kurt was talking about." At her questioning look, he blushed and held his hands up in a panic. "Don't tell him I said that!"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright. Kurt and I have had our fair share of differences."

It was silent for a few moments before Blaine asked her. "So what do you think will work?"

"Well I wouldn't worry about getting in if I was you." Then she crossed her arms over her chest and grabbed her chin, thinking out loud. "If you want to make an impression with not only New Directions but the school in general, you have to do something memorable."

"Too bad no one really cares."

Quinn held her hand up as a thought crossed her mind. "Not true. You just have to find a target audience with a certain interest and roll with it."

"Like what?" Blaine asked.

"Sex."

Blaine's eyes widened and he nervously fiddled with his bowtie. "Sex? As in sleeping with other people in order to join? I don't think that I can do that!"

A disgusted looked crossed her face. "We're not Puck! Of course we're not sleeping with anyone."

Blaine looked at her thoughtfully. "We?"

Quinn blushed at her slip up. ' _Dammit I was supposed to casually slip that suggestion in. Oh well, time to improvise._ ' She composed herself. "I need to perform to make up for the other day so I figured that we could do a duet. Wouldn't want you to sing in the shark tank all by yourself."

"That all depends." At Quinn's questioning look, he elaborated. "What's the better song _Teenage Dream_ By: Katy Perry or _Poker Face_ By: Lady Gaga?" He stared at her seriously in case she lied.

She looked at him in disbelief. Who was she talking to Rachel Berry? Only she would ask a question like that. Carefully she thought about her answer and what song she preferred. " _Teenage Dream_."

Blaine clapped his hands and grinned broadly at her. He really was like Rachel. "We can sing together." He settled down and looked serious again. "So what were you thinking of doing with sex?"

"Sex sells and if we give off enough sex appeal then we can definitely target the girls around this school." She knew that the idea was crazy but how else were they supposed to get people to join, especially after that fiasco yesterday.

"But I'm gay and from what I've heard you're straight. Wouldn't that be a turnoff?"

"Not necessarily, it's like the bad boy effect." She explained to Blaine, who nodded his head in understanding. "Most girls always think that they can change someone or in this case covert them. Honestly I don't think anything else is going to work at this point."

Blaine heaved a sigh of defeat, "You're probably right. It looks like we have no other choice. Who do you have in mind?"

Quinn smirked confidently at him, happy that her plan worked. Well if she was going to crash and burn at least she wasn't going to do it alone. She felt bad for bringing Blaine into it, but then she remembered his earlier performance and then didn't feel so bad anymore. He was going to ride the loser train too whether he sung with her or not, so they might as well do it together and have fun. "I've decided on someone that has been a heartthrob for years now, making women throw bras and panties at him and men wish they were him. I'm only talking about the one and only…" At her dramatic pause, Blaine leaned towards her, hanging off of the edge of his seat, "Justin Timberlake."

* * *

Rachel was sitting at one of the tables in the courtyard, waiting for Quinn. She was practicing with Kurt on their number for the NYADA mixer that was later tonight, when she received a text from her.

 _Meet me in the courtyard by the stairs. - Quinn_

' _Well at least she doesn't use text speak,'_ she thought when she read it, though she was wondering what she wanted. Normally it was her reaching out.

Kurt's phone buzzed letting him know that someone is texting him. He read the text and was a little confused. "Who's that?" She asked.

"It's from Blaine. He wants to meet me in the courtyard."

"When did Blaine transfer?"

So they talked on the way to their destination. She thought that it was extremely sweet that Blaine transferred so that he can be closer to Kurt, but she wondered how it was going to work out. Knowing from experience with Finn, you shouldn't spend all your time together or you'll start tearing each other a part. Hopefully the same wouldn't happen to them because she loved them as a couple.

She was wondering what was taking Quinn so long because as soon as she saw the purple piano and everyone else sitting at a table, she figured out that Quinn was going to perform. The brunette was really excited because she knew that the blonde was doing this for her. It really was a big step to be literally flushing your popularity down the drain, especially for someone who became as obsessed with it as Quinn was.

"So do you think Quinn's going to be singing?" Mercedes asked from next to Rachel.

"Yeah right, Q's being a big chicken shit." Santana shot out angrily. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement because they were still mad at her for ditching them.

"Guys, knock it off. She's going to be performing." Rachel said, glaring at all of them. They ignored her and continued talking smack about Quinn.

Suddenly music started playing and everyone turned their heads to the top of the stairs.

"Why is Blaine with Quinn? What is he wearing?" Kurt exclaimed, not sounding like he really liked this combination at all.

Rachel was a little surprised as well. She didn't even think that Quinn knew Blaine's name, but there they were each dressed to the nines. Both were wearing suits, though Quinn's was of a feminine style. Blaine was wearing his signature bowtie with a fedora on his head, cocked to the side. Quinn had her two top buttons open and her hair was stylized with that smoky eyed makeup to finish off the rest of the look.

"Wow, Q looks so fucking hot." Puck stated, staring at her hungrily. Brittany was nodding her head in agreement.

"Is that _SexyBack_?" Artie asked out loud.

Quinn stepped down the stairs with purpose and once she reached the middle, she started singing the opening verse with Blaine taking over Timbaland's part.

 _I'm bringing sexy back  
Them other boys don't know how to act  
I think you're special, what's behind your back?  
So turn around and I'll pick up the slack._

" _Take 'em to the bridge_ "

Blaine sang as he slid down one of the rails. Screaming could be heard from everywhere as girls started running up to the steps, but apparently Quinn and Blaine knew this was going to happen because some of the nicer football players were holding the girls back.

Quinn threw a wink at Rachel, who was just looking at her in shock. A bunch of girls screamed because they thought she was winking at them. A few even fainted.

 _Dirty babe  
You see these shackles  
Baby I'm your slave  
I'll let you whip me if I misbehave  
It's just that no one makes me feel this way_

 _Take 'em to the chorus_

The Cheerios decided to start dancing around them and one even started grinding against Blaine. She untied his bow and threw it out into the crowd. Blaine looked uncomfortable during the exchange but when Rachel looked over at Kurt, he looked down right furious.

"They need to get their hands off of my boyfriend!"

Rachel patted him on the shoulder. "Honey, you do remember he's gay right?" He crossed his arms and huffed, not bothering to reply.

 _Come here girl_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Come to the back_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _VIP_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Drinks on me_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Let me see what you're twerking with_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Look at those hips_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _You make me smile_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Go ahead child_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _And get your sexy on_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_

 _Get your sexy on_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_

" _Get your sexy on."_ Quinn sung huskily, causing more girls to faint. Rachel was pretty impressed by this performance if she was being honest, the blonde never looked more confident and it appeared that she had been working on her vocals over the summer.

Santana decided to get up and join the singers, making everyone look at her in confusion. Quinn was looking at the Latina suspiciously, especially when she started dancing with Blaine. _'If Quinn is suspicious then Santana must be up to something.'_ Rachel thought to herself.

Blaine threw his hat into the crowd and took over the rest of the song while Quinn was back up.

 _I'm bringing sexy back_  
 _Them other fuckers don't know how to act_  
 _Come let me make up for the things you lack_  
 _'Cause you're burning up I gotta get it fast_

 _Take 'em to the bridge_

"See coach, they're starting another one of those sex orgies." Rachel looked over her shoulder to see Becky Jackson talking to Coach Sylvester. Her eyes widened when she saw the hose in her hands.

"No, Becky, this is far worse than a sex orgy. Attractive looking people can't be singing or dancing about sex or it will lead to riots, fights, and possibly death. It's especially worse for people as gorgeous as that young mustache less Burt Reynolds or Grace Kelly incarnate. This kind of music is corrupting our children's minds and making them commit heinous acts. I have to put an end to this!" Sue was speaking into the camera that Becky was holding, trying to prove her point that the arts is bad for her campaign.

Rachel was worried when she saw Coach Sylvester point the hose at Quinn and Blaine. The blonde seemed to have noticed too, because she went over to Blaine and tapped him on the shoulder. She cocked her head in Sue's direction and made a swirling motion with her hands.

Blaine got the hint because as soon as the hose went off both teens turned around so their backs were facing the water and held on to a railing.

The Cheerios that were currently pouring gasoline on the purple piano all screamed and ran off. Not noticing the hose, Santana was pushed to the ground by the force and left completely drenched. The music stopped as Coach Sylvester started cackling evilly.

Suddenly the hose stopped working. Sue was looking at it in confusion, smacking it a few times, and then she looked to see if it was tangled up. Her face turned red with fury at what she saw. "Hey wheels, get off or I will make sure that the rest of your time here at McKinley is brutal torture."

Artie swallowed nervously as he put his wheelchair in break on top of the hose. "You wouldn't hit a kid in a wheelchair with glasses. What would that say for your campaign?" His words sounded more confident than he looked.

Coach Sylvester looked around at all the teenagers with their phones out recording everything. Making a calculated move, she threw the hose down and stormed off, but not before shouting. "You may have won this sex orgy battle, but Sue Sylvester will win the war!"

It was quiet for a few minutes no one really believing that they bested that lunatic, but then Artie shouted out, "Finish the song!" Everyone started cheering.

"You guys want us to finish this!" Blaine shouted, their backs were still facing everyone. The band members slowly started going back to their places; as the Cheerios all walked off, defeated and wet. Santana looked especially pissed as she threw wet matches on the ground.

Everyone started screaming louder. "Well you asked for it!" Quinn shouted. The music started up where they left off. "1, 2, 3 go!" Blaine and Quinn flipped around, both were soaking wet and water kept dripping from their bodies.

Suddenly the crowd went wild as they both ripped open there shirts. Rachel's ears were starting to hurt as the screaming only got louder. They took off their jackets and shirts, throwing them in the audience. Blaine was naked from the waist up and Quinn was only left in a black sports bra. Both were pretty lean and fit, so it was definitely a sight that the girls enjoyed, if the thumps they heard on the ground from them fainting were anything to go by. Blaine started singing again.

 _Dirty babe  
You see these shackles  
Baby I'm your slave  
I'll let you whip me if I misbehave  
It's just that no one makes me feel this way_

 _Come here girl_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Come to the back_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _VIP_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Drinks on me_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Let me see what you're twerking with_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Look at those hips_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _You make me smile_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _Go ahead child_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_  
 _And get your sexy on_  
 _Go ahead, be gone with it_

They went through the rest of the song and once they were finished, they were met by huge applause. Everyone was standing up and Rachel was just shaking her head. She was one for theatrics but she's never quite had a performance this intense. Hopefully people would be willing to sign up now.

Quinn spotted her in the crowd and winked at her before mouthing, "Are you happy now?"

She nodded her head and looked over at Kurt who was staring intensely at Blaine's chest, he looked almost predatory. ' _Apparently I'm not the only one._ '

* * *

It was after school and Rachel was in the choir room, waiting for Glee Club to start. During the day she kept looking at the signup sheet, her smile growing wider each time she saw a new signature. The last time she looked was about two hours ago and she counted 18 names then.

She really had to thank Quinn when she saw her next because she might have just saved the club. First she had to see if any of them were any good. She thought of Sugar Motta and shuddered. Well maybe no one can be as bad as her.

Just then Quinn walked in and Rachel looked at her in confusion. The blonde was wearing one of her signature dresses, but for some reason her hair still looked wet. ' _Why is her hair still wet?_ _Surely it would have dried by now the performance was hours ago._ ' Quinn sat down next to her and saw the look on her face. "I was slushied by someone on the hockey team on my way over here."

Sadness washed over her, even Quinn wasn't spared from the narrow minded morons of this school. "Quinn, I'm sorry that happened."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I was kind of expecting it when I saw the looks on their faces after we finished singing. It was a cross between hatred and jealousy."

Tina overheard the conversation and groaned loudly. "Great now we're losers all over again."

Mr. Schue walked in at that moment followed by Kurt and Blaine, whose hair was also a little damp. Apparently they got him too. Blaine high-fived Quinn on the way to his chair, making Kurt roll his eyes. Rachel smiled to herself. ' _Do I detect a new bromance brewing?_ ' Sure Quinn was a girl but she really liked that term and she never got to use it.

"Everyone welcome our newest member Blaine Anderson." Everyone, but Finn clapped their hands for him. That didn't really matter because ever since Rachel shot him down earlier this week he's been sulking in the corner.

"I might have to reconsider if I keep getting slushies thrown at me." He joked, making the group laugh with him.

"That just makes you one of us now." Puck stated, clapping him on the shoulder.

Once everyone was settled down, Mr. Schue got started on class. "Thanks to Quinn and Blaine's _intense_ performance of _SexyBack_ ," He put extra emphasis on intense, making the two blush. "We have now had 21 people sign up." Everyone started clapping their hands loudly. "Now I'm going to have tryouts on Friday morning, but I won't be able to make it. Can two of you volunteer?"

Rachel looked over at Kurt, who nodded his head in confirmation. "Mr. Schue, Kurt and I can do it."

He looked really relieved. "I'm sure you guys can find some great talent. Though don't be too harsh." He cautioned them before then getting started on today's performances.

' _It can't be as bad a Sugar's audition._ ' Rachel thought to herself.

* * *

Quinn was walking towards the auditorium in her workout clothes, tank top and sweat pants; she decided to get to school early so that she could work out in the weight room before classes started. About half an hour into it her phone buzzed. She was going to just leave it but then it buzzed again. She figured it must have been important so she went over to see who it was. She sighed when she saw two texts from Rachel.

 _COME TO THE AUDITORIUM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE – Rachel_

 _I'M AT MY WITS END – Rachel_

She figured that since it was in all caps, it must have been an emergency so she packed up her stuff, threw on a hoodie and headed towards the choir room. She didn't think about changing and taking a shower because she had about an hour before school started and she figured that whatever Rachel wanted wouldn't take long.

As she was walking into the choir room, she noticed that you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. A girl with red hair was on the stage, sitting in a chair looking extremely bored. When she saw Quinn though, her eyes lit up. ' _Well that seems a little weird._ ' But she didn't think anything of it.

She walked to the front row and was a little surprised to see Blaine there. He smiled weakly at her when he noticed her. Then she looked over at Kurt who seemed to be on his third coffee already, judging from the cups on the floor around him. He never really was a morning person. When her eyes landed on Rachel she winced. It really did look like she was past her breaking point as she was staring furiously at the red head on stage.

When she noticed that she was there she focused her anger onto her. Quinn was a little baffled by the treatment, wondering what she did now to piss off the diva. "Finally what took so long?" She asked accusingly.

"I was working out." She looked at her wardrobe and pulled back hair, once Rachel seemed satisfied by her answer, she continued on. "What's going on?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because she looked even angrier. "No one wants to audition without you here." When the brunette saw the look she was giving her, she further explained. "Everyone seems to want you or Blaine here to see them perform. I tried reasoning, I tried yelling, but I couldn't convince them. I have wasted over an hour of my life that could have been better spent getting ready for my audition to West Side Story."

Kurt groaned, having heard enough of Rachel's rants for today. "She's here now so let's get this show on the road."

Quinn was about to sit down when suddenly the red head spoke up. "Ummm…I hope you don't mind but can you please come up here and sit in this chair?"

She looked at Rachel who just waved her off. "Fine I don't care. Do whatever you want."

As Quinn was getting up the steps an uneasy feeling was starting to settle in the pit of her stomach. The red head got up and motioned at Quinn to take a seat. Reluctantly she sat down, then she leaned in really close to her and smelled, completely weirding her out.

"You smell so good. I can practically taste your sweat." She whispered in her ear.

Quinn was stunned at what she was saying. ' _She seems to be a little off her rocker._ ' The blonde tried to move her head as far away from her, but she was so distracted by the close proximity between their faces that she didn't hear the clicks until it was too late.

She looked down and noticed that she has handcuffed both of her hands to the chair. "How's that for shackles, baby?" She teased to her before she stepped back a little.

Now Quinn was really concerned, she tugged a little on the restraints and swallowed nervously. The red head smiled coyly before she brought the key up to her face. "Is this what you're looking for?" Her eyes widened when she proceeded to swallow the key. "I'm not letting you get away from me that easily."

' _Well this isn't going to end well._ ' She thought to herself as the red head turned on the boom box that was on the floor. Quinn tried to look to her friends for help but the crazy chick was blocking her view.

Once the music started playing heavy dance music, the red head grinned at her and then started to climb into her lap. She unzipped her hoody and threw both sides out of the way. "As soon as I saw your abs, I knew that I just had to touch them." She then reached under her tank top and ran her hands over her stomach.

Quinn jumped at the contact, her hands were really cold and this was super awkward. First she tried moving the chair or kicking the ginger out but when that didn't work she tried to call out to her friends. "Guys I need a little help here!" Her voice was a little higher than she expected it to be, but then soon her body just shut down on her and her voice caught in her throat.

The crazy chick latched her lips onto her neck, licking and sucking a trail up and down before she bites down hard on her pulse point. Quinn honestly couldn't help the moan that escaped from her lips because she was completely caught off guard by the action. No one has ever done this to her before.

"See I knew you were playing for the other team." The red head whispered into her ear before she bit down on her earlobe.

' _Oh god she's a crazy fan girl!_ ' She thought as panic started to creep in and her friends still haven't got a clue. She was starting to curse her body for betraying her. ' _This is the most awkward experience I have ever had, but why does it feel so good?_ ' If she's being truthful the woman on top of her was slightly attractive but it wasn't like she was drawn to this woman, but why was her body reacting this way. ' _Maybe I miss body contact more than I thought._ '

She was so lost in her thoughts and the sensations of the girl on top of her that she wasn't even hearing Rachel screaming at the red head to get off of her nor did she register Kurt and Blaine coming on stage and dragging her off.

Rachel stormed up on the stage, grabbed the boom box and threw it across the room, shattering it into a million pieces. She turned towards the red head with a fire in her eyes. Quinn had never seen her that mad before. "How dare you come into my try outs, completely waste my time and molest my kind of friend!" She screamed at her. Almost like a mob boss, she snapped her fingers addressing the two males. "Get her out of my sight."

As the boys started dragging her away the red head called out to her. "Our shackles are forever bonded Quinn! I'll never stop loving you."

She sighed in relief when the girl was removed from the room. Her mind was completely rattled and her body was on fire. She looked at Rachel who seemed to have come down from her rage and was looking at her sadly. "I'm sorry I got you molested. If I knew she was going to do that I wouldn't have told you to come here."

Quinn took a few deep breathes and once her body was fully calm she replied, "I'm not mad at you." She then started laughing; making the brunette look at her like she was the crazy one. "Brittany always warned me to use Justin Timberlake wisely." She then tried to match her voice to the other blonde's. "Q with that much sex appeal comes great responsibly. Use the sex wisely."

Rachel made a very unlady like sound then she started busting up laughing, Quinn soon joining her. That was how Kurt and Blaine found them. Kurt seemed less than impressed by Blaine who was now sporting lipstick on his cheek and his shirt was torn slightly. That only made them start laughing harder.

Eventually Quinn had to teach Rachel how to pick a lock with a bobby pin in order to free her. By the time that was finished they only had time for one more audition. The next girl that walked on the stage had a whip in her hand. She looked Quinn right in the eye. "Miss. Fabray, you've been a naughty girl."

Now she felt even more awkward than before, if that was possible. She looked over at Rachel and slowly started to move over in her chair, afraid to make any sudden movements.

The fire was back in her eyes, her jaw was clenched and she had a death grip on the armrests. ' _Maybe I should listen to Brittany more often._ '

* * *

Quinn moaned as she was getting out of her car. Football tryouts were no joke. She grabbed the varsity jacket and jersey that Coach Beiste gave her and slung them over her shoulder. She wasn't sure how she got her size and she didn't care to find out.

It wasn't until the very last minute that she decided to go, figuring what the harm could be and also avoiding glee club and Rachel. After she was done tearing into the whip girl, she then proceeded to demand why every other girl was there. Once she found out that they were only here to sleep with either her or Blaine or in some cases both; she tore up the signup sheet and stormed off, but not before screaming over her shoulder. "How dare they turn my tryouts into some sexual fantasy! Quinn Fabray and Blaine Anderson, you have corrupted my show choir!"

Well after that Rachel was a little bit cross with everyone. Mr. Schue made the mistake of asking her how tryouts went which set her off on a ten minute tirade with no end in sight. Fortunately the bell rang, ending Rachel's rant mid-sentence or she would have kept going.

When Quinn went to football tryouts, Coach Beiste seemed a little relieved when she saw her. She was pretty surprised to see Tina and Zizes were trying out as well, much to Mike's mortification. Apparently they really enjoyed that one time that they played on the field and decided to join the team. Zizes was like a beast on the field, she even flipped Puck on his back when he was going easy on her. She was easily invited to join the team as a defensive tackle. Tina was another story. What she lacked in athletics and hand eye coordination, she made up for in spirit so she was made the assistant coach/water girl.

Everyone was a little confused to see her trying out, especially Finn who took it as a jab to his masculinity. When he was throwing the ball, he was intentionally trying to mess her up by giving her the wrong plays or throwing the ball too low. Luckily that didn't stop her from playing a decent game and once Coach Beiste threatened to throw Finn off the team if he didn't play right, he started actually throwing the ball and it went even better. She was by no means the best but she was better than most.

All the glee members on the team congratulated her on making the team, even Finn, though it did seem a little forced. She wondered how people were going to take it when Monday rolled along. She knew Coach Sylvester was going to be pissed but she wasn't sure how anyone else was going to react.

She noticed a FedEx package on the front step of the house so she grabbed it, unlocked the door and walked inside. Going into the kitchen, she set her stuff down and looked at the package.

It was from Frannie and it was addressed to her. She opened the envelope that was taped on the side and read aloud. "You forgot to take this with you."

' _I didn't think that I left anything behind._ ' She thought to herself as she opened the package.

As soon as she saw what was inside, her eyes welled up with tears and she felt a lump begin to form in her throat. She reached in and took out the three-ring binder with all of her songs. Quinn refused to dig the thing out of the garbage and so she assumed that it was taken out, and she really regretted throwing it away. She wondered when her sister took it out of the garbage. ' _Probably as soon as I threw it away._ '

She lightly touched the post it attached to the front. 'Fabray's Never Quit!' was written in her sister's elegant handwriting.

Rachel and her family were right. She shouldn't give up on her dreams just because some jerk didn't like it. Plenty of people have been rejected and they managed to make it big. Maybe this was another one of those hurdles in life that she had to jump over. Lord knows she's had a few.

A call to her sister was definitely in her future but for now she had an urge to get reacquainted with an old friend. She looked down at the post it one more time, smiling fondly, and then she walked up the stairs.

When Judy Fabray came home later that day with takeout Chinese food, she smiled brightly and tears gathered in her eyes when she heard the familiar noise of a piano playing in the other room.

(A/N Yay! Second chapter is done and we are now on season 3. I really didn't feel like going over summer break so here we go. I will try to update every week but no guarantees. I do know that I will probably finish this once I get to the end of season 3. I'm sure that you've noticed that I am following some of the plots of the actual show but tweaking it to fit my story more. Soon it will be so tweaked that I will have to follow my own plot.

Someone was concerned that I was making Quinn a Mary Sue, but I don't quite agree with that. Yes this Quinn isn't as crazy as Glee Quinn but she is just as damaged and flawed. I hoped I showed a little bit of that in this chapter. Personally I feel like this was the Quinn we were going to get once she was accepted into Yale and all happy for her future, but then she was hit by the car and so on and so forth. It was a good plotline, don't get me wrong, but man how much can one character take. Seriously? Quinn Fabray is like the Kelly Taylor of Glee. So I'm switching things up and hopefully everyone likes it. If not then I'm not forcing you to read it.

Yes I am thinking of including a Quinn/Blaine bromance because I haven't seen it done much in fanfics and I wanted Blaine to have some plot that doesn't revolve around Kurt. Poor Blaine didn't have a good friend at McKinley until Kurt moved and let's be honest that's not really healthy for a relationship.

A few people are asking me about the possibility of finishing up my other Glee story Courage. Let's just say that I've considered it and it's likely that I might go back to it, but I would like to attempt to finish this one up first. So thank you all for still loving the story even after all these years.

On another note I stumbled across a fanfic by chance and simply fell in love with it. Sadly the Glee fanfics aren't around like they used to be and updates are few and far between (I've been guilty of that myself), but I came across this Quinntana fic that people should read. It is honestly one of the best crossover fics I have ever read and it's really funny and heartwarming. Once you read it then you'll just assume that that was the Disney/Once Upon a Time character for them. The story's called " _The Sun, The Moon, and The Sky_ " By: Quicklove202. It's a long story but it's so good. One of the best fanfics I've read in a while. It should be more popular than it is so check it out. You won't be disappointed.

The song that was used was the ever catchy and timeless " _Sexyback_ " By: Justin Timberlake. Love that song!

With that please read and review and let me know what you think without flat out being rude.)


	3. A Change Of Pace

(A/N I'm really sorry that I took so long to update, but sadly life got in the way. I had a death in the family, a relative that I haven't seen in years visit, and work. I hope you like the chapter it's the longest one yet. Hopefully I can get back on track here. Thank you all for those of you that have reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story. It means a lot. I still own nothing, but the plot so enjoy chapter 3.)

(This is a revised version of Chapter 3)

 **Chapter 3: A Change of Pace**

The weekend came and went rather quick and Monday was here. Quinn was walking through the hallways and was mildly surprised when people started to get out of her way. Apparently word had spread that she was on the football team or they just assumed she was back on the Cheerios because she was wearing her letterman jacket.

She made it to her locker and started to put in the combination when a voice spoke up next to her. "So it's true then you're on the football team?"

Quinn looked to her left and smiled at Rachel. "You're looking at the new wide receiver of the McKinley High Titans."

The brunette was looking at her in disbelief. "But you could get seriously hurt." She sounded concerned.

"Don't worry I'll be fine." She waved off her concerns and pulled her books out of her locker. "You'd be surprised at how many injuries I sustained on the Cheerios." She shut her locker and started walking to class.

Rachel fell in step beside her since they shared the same first period. "While I understand that, you're still going to be tackled by guys a lot heavier than you are. It was terrifying when I did it."

The blonde stopped walking and looked Rachel directly in the eyes. "I'm going to be fine. Yes it will be a little scary, but that's never stopped me before."

Rachel still didn't look convinced, but before Quinn could try and reassure her, Coach Sylvester came around the corner, looking furious. As she was coming their way, a kid accidently stepped in front of her. Like a predator attacking their prey, she grabbed the kid by the backpack and swung him into the lockers in one quick movement. He fell to the floor in a heap.

Once she made her way to them she glared murderously at Quinn. "Q, my office now!" Then she stormed off again, kicking the poor kid she threw earlier.

"Wow she was really angry." Rachel stated her eyes wide in fright.

Quinn sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I was kind of expecting it. I'll see you later."

As she was walking away, Rachel called out from behind her. "If you don't come back in 24 hours, I'll call the FBI and demand to know where your body is."

All Quinn did was shake her head and laugh. Typical Rachel.

* * *

Quinn was sitting in Coach Sylvester's office, looking bored out of her mind. Sue was standing behind her desk, glaring at her, while Santana, Brittany and Becky were off to the right wearing the same expression. Well Brittany was looking more hurt than angry but everyone else was pissed.

"Of all the things that I've had to put up with when it comes to you, this takes the cake!" Coach Sylvester yelled at her. "First the singing and prancing in that curly hipster's poor excuse for a show choir; now you're roughing it up with a bunch of Neanderthals. I can literally feel the knife that you stabbed into my back."

Brittany looked horrified and was now looking at the teachers back to see if there was indeed a knife there.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the dramatics. Really she was worse than Rachel sometimes. "Aren't you exaggerating a little?"

"You bitch!" Becky screamed at her, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have to agree with my co-captain here. That was a pretty bitch move you pulled there Q." Santana stated.

"I don't see why you think I betrayed you. I'm not even on the Cheerios." Quinn pointed out to the others.

"Once a Cheerio, always a Cheerio." Coach Sylvester simply stated before she opened a box that was on her desk. She reached in and pulled out Quinn's old uniform. "You can't just join another sports team and not expect us to be angry. You took an oath."

' _What the hell is this, the Night's Watch?_ ' She thought to herself, wondering if she somehow without really knowing joined a cheerleading cult. "I don't remember taking an oath and even if I did, so what? I can make my own choices and nothing you're going to say is going to change my mind."

Brittany looked to be the only reasonable one here, as she looked at Quinn thoughtfully. "Are you happy?"

She looked at the other blonde seriously. "Yes Brittany, I am happy."

"Okay then, I'm not mad at you anymore." The dancer shrugged her shoulders and clapped her hands happily.

Santana seemed to have other thoughts on the matter. "Just because Britts here can forgive you so easily, doesn't mean that I will. You betrayed us Q and that can never be forgiven."

Quinn knew Santana better than almost anyone else, besides Brittany. She saw the flash of hurt cross her face quickly and knew that the Latina was upset that she joined the football team instead of the Cheerios without telling her. ' _She probably thinks that I did this to spite her and the Cheerios or maybe she misses cheering with me. Hah! Even if she did she would rather sew her mouth shut before saying it._ '

"Boob job over there is right." Santana glared at Coach Sylvester's insult. "This is a personal attack on me and my team." Then she pulled out a match and lit Quinn's uniform on fire. "This is war." She dropped the uniform back in the box.

"I'm going to leave this insanity now." Quinn remarked before she slowly got up from her chair. The fire was starting to get out of control and she didn't want to be around when the sprinkler system kicked in.

Sure enough as soon as Quinn shut the door, she heard screaming and running water. "Look San it's raining indoors!" The blonde laughed loudly when she heard Brittany. She shook her head and made her way to class.

* * *

Monday went by in a blur for Quinn as people admired her, glared at her, or congratulated her. It was now Tuesday and currently she was following behind Puck, who said that he had to show her something.

As she was walking she spotted Kurt and Brittany talking by his locker. When she heard from Blaine that Brittany was his campaign manager she had to hold back a laugh. She knew that Kurt wasn't going to be able to handle the blonde's overactive imagination and was just waiting for the cards to be dealt. He would probably freak out, upset Brittany, and piss of Santana. Quinn knew it was mean to not give the boy a heads up but she wanted the Latina's anger to be focused on someone else. Plus it was always a little amusing to see her friend tear into someone.

She was just glad that she didn't have to attend those booty camps because they seemed pretty lame. More power to Mike for attempting to teach Finn and Mercedes how to dance. She can already feel the headache that he was bound to have.

That reminded her of another headache, Puck. He was pretty mysterious when he asked her to follow him to a classroom. He better not be trying to hook up with her again because that ship has sailed a long time ago, never to return.

"Are we almost there? I have better things to do." She remarked.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, its right through here." His manners certainly haven't improved over the summer.

Quinn was about to walk through the door but stopped when she saw the last person that she wanted to see.

Shelby Corcoran was looking at her with a nervous smile on her face as she started to get up from the piano and made her way over to the middle of the room.

The blonde was stunned. She hadn't heard from the woman since she adopted her daughter. Sure it was an open adoption and Quinn had the chance to see her daughter if she really wanted to, but it was way too painful. How could she hold her own daughter and know that Beth was hers, but at the same time she wasn't and someone else was going to call her mom. It was too much.

She made her way into the room. "You're back."

"Yeah I went to New York and…" She then proceeded to talk about Beth but Quinn tuned her out. Why would she come back and throw it in her face that she was a part of her daughter's life and was able to see all of her firsts, when she knew that Quinn didn't. Who does that?

"Look I came back here so that you can be a part of Beth's life. I don't want you to have to go through what I went through with Rachel." Shelby was trying and she'll give her that but Quinn didn't believe her. If she wanted Quinn to get to know Beth then she would have tried to contact her sooner.

She heard from Rachel herself how Shelby walked away from their relationship, saying that it was too hard. That in of itself made the wheels turn in her head. ' _Is she having second thoughts about Beth? It wouldn't be the first time she turned her back on her daughter._ '

At the time Quinn had no idea that Shelby gave up on forming a bond with Rachel. If she did then she would have never gave Beth to the woman.

"I find it hard to believe that that's all you want." At Shelby's confused look, Quinn elaborated. "I think that you're having second thoughts about Beth."

Shelby looked at her in disbelief. "I didn't come back here to abandon Beth. I came here so that she will get to know her birth parents."

"Well what about Rachel then?" The woman winced at the mention of her oldest daughter's name. "It was _you_ that went out to find her, not the other way around. It was _you_ that was too scared to be a mother to her. It was _you_ who abandoned her."

"What happened between Rachel and I, is between us and it doesn't concern you." Shelby was glaring at her and her words sounded forced and clipped.

Quinn clenched her hands into fists. Puck seemed to have noticed her fury because he tried to step in. "Quinn, don't."

She threw her hand up at him to shut him up. "It does concern me because I don't want the same thing to happen to my daughter! No matter what paper you sign, she is still mine and I don't want her to have to go through what Rachel went through!"

Shelby's eyes softened and she was looking at her in concern. "Quinn, are you okay? This behavior doesn't seem like you. I've heard rumors that you've been putting yourself out there. Is that the problem?"

Quinn faltered a little and looked at the woman in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The older woman held her hands up in a sign that she means no harm. "I'm not judging but instead of sleeping around maybe you should go see a therapist. It's not healthy to bottle up your feelings or release them in ways that can be self-destructive."

"What are you talking about? I'm not sleeping with anyone." Quinn couldn't believe where this conversation was going. She was too angry to be embarrassed. How could Shelby just believe that she would have sex with a bunch of people? ' _It's probably those fan girls spreading rumors. I can't believe that she would believe them._ '

Puck decided to make his presence known. "She's telling the truth. Whatever you heard is all lies."

"Be that as it may, Quinn, you're not seeing Beth until you change your attitude."

Quinn was livid. All she did was call out Shelby on her bullshit and stick up for Beth and Rachel. "I'm not changing anything because there's nothing to change. Blackmailing me with seeing my daughter is about as low as you can get."

Shelby was back to scowling at her again as she put her hands on her hips. "Then you can't see Beth."

Tears sprang to her eyes but she refused to let them fall in front of her. Quickly she turned around and walked out of the room. Puck tried to grab her hand but she threw him off. She had to get to a bathroom and fast.

People got out of her way as she walked briskly to one of the girls restrooms. Her eyes burned and her throat felt swollen.

"Quinn?" She heard someone call her name questionably, but she kept walking. "Quinn, are you okay?" She knew that it was Rachel and with dread she knew that the brunette would follow her to see if she was alright.

As she walked into the girl's restroom she heard footsteps behind her and then the clicking of the lock to let her know that the door was locked. Her back hit one of the sinks as she took deep breaths and tried to will away the tears.

Rachel cautiously walked over to her, probably because the last time they were like this she slapped her. Guilt washed over her as she remembered that prom night. It wasn't her best moment.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, keeping a couple of feet between them.

She glanced at the brunette and saw nothing but concern in her eyes. Concern for her, which was a strange concept to her, most people didn't care how she felt except for her mom, Frannie, Santana, and Brittany; but for some reason Rachel was always there when she was feeling her worst and she was always there to comfort her.

It was silent as the blonde was still trying to keep her tears at bay. Once Rachel realized that the blonde wasn't going to lash out, she took a few more steps towards her and laid a hand on her forearm. Her body shook at the contact.

"Come on. I can't make you feel better if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Shelby's back."

Rachel looked alarmed by that admission, but she shook her head a little and pressed on. "Did something happen to Beth?"

Quinn shook her head and felt her eyes start to really burn. "We got into a fight and she won't let me see her." She choked out.

Once the words left her mouth and reality set in, the little self-control that she had on her emotions left and the dam broke. Tears fell down her face and she started sobbing. She had tried really hard not to think about her daughter and the emptiness she felt in her heart whenever she looked at the only picture that she had of her. It took the whole summer before her junior year to keep the tears at bay and close off her feelings on the matter, but, with Shelby being back, all those emotions that she's keep bottled inside came back full force.

Warm arms wrapped around her neck and brought her face down to their shoulder. She tensed at the contact and tried to pull away but Rachel held on tight. Soon she started to rub soothing circles on her back as she whispered in her ear. "It's okay to cry Quinn. I'm not going to judge you."

Just like that, any reservations that she had went out the window as the blonde grabbed the front of her sweater and clutched it in her hands. Eventually her knees were starting to give out and Rachel must have sensed it, because they started to lower to the ground. All the while the blonde was still sobbing into the brunette's shoulder.

She cried for all the missed opportunities in her life. She cried because her father kicked her out of the house and disowned her. She cried because she was taken advantage of that night and gave away something very precious to her that she can never get back. But mostly she cried because she gave up her baby girl and will never be able to truly have a mother/daughter relationship with her.

She wasn't sure how long she was crying, but she was brought out of her depressive state by someone trying to open the bathroom door. Slowly she tried to regulate her breathing and calm down. Whoever was on the other end gave up and decided to go somewhere else.

Quinn then blushed as she realized how close she and Rachel were. Their bodies were pressed together and she was sitting in the brunette's lap. She pulled her head off of her shoulder embarrassed and tried to get away but Rachel refused to let go.

She looked into brown eyes and was surprised to see the worry and acceptance there. She figured she would look at her in disgust for crying all over her and ruining her sweater.

"Do you feel better?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shyly nodded as she wiped away the rest of her tears. "Thank you. I didn't mean to cry all over you."

The brunette smiled warmly at her. "It's alright." She let go of Quinn and they both stood up on shaky legs. "I was just here for a friend."

"Kind of friend." Rachel rolled her eyes and Quinn went to the mirror to fix her makeup. It was kind of a horror show.

Rachel leaned her hip against the sink next to her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why did you get in a fight with Shelby?"

She sighed as she started wiping the mascara from her cheeks. "I didn't believe her reason for being here."

'What was the reason?"

"She said that she wanted me to get to know Beth, but I figured it was her chickening out again." She was looking at Rachel from the corner of her eye so she didn't miss the frown that crossed her face.

"Be that as it may, Shelby loves Beth and wouldn't abandon her."

"She said she loved you too and look what happened." Quinn turned to face Rachel. The brunette was starting to look depressed and her eyes were starting to look glassy.

The blonde did something that was truly out of character for her, but she knew that Rachel needed it. She went over and hugged the tiny brunette, and felt arms wrap tightly around her waist.

She pulled a little out of the hug and stared into Rachel's eyes. "It's not right what Shelby did to you and you deserved better. It's her loss because she missed out on knowing a really good and talented person."

Rachel laughed and smiled weakly, wiping the tears off of her face. "Who knew that Quinn Fabray had such a way with words?"

Quinn let go of her and made her way back to the mirror. "Don't tell anyone or you'll ruin my street cred." She fixed her makeup the best that she could and turned to look at Rachel, who was shaking her head in amusement.

"Only with you do I go through this whirlwind of emotions." She stated as she looked in the mirror to see if she ruined her makeup. Satisfied that it wasn't wrecked she turned to look at Quinn seriously. "Don't make the same mistake that my birth mother did. Beth needs both of her mom's in her life."

The blonde ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "You're right, but I'm not apologizing for what I said until she apologizes to you."

"You might be waiting then." Rachel quipped bitterly.

The bell rang and Quinn brought her phone out to see what the time was. "Looks like we missed last period."

Rachel gasped in horror. "My perfect attendance this year is ruined." Quinn was giving her a weird look so she explained. "NYADA might be looking at students that don't miss school."

"I don't think a performing arts school will be looking at your attendance record."

"You never know they might be."

Quinn just chuckled at the brunette as she made her way to the door to unlock it. She looked at the brunette and smiled. "Thanks again Rachel."

Rachel smiled and they both walked out of the bathroom, feeling a lot better than they did earlier.

* * *

Rachel was practicing her scales and warming up so that she has a better range when she sings. It was after school and there was no glee club because of booty camp. So she figured she could get in some extra rehearsal time before she auditions in the morning.

If she was being honest, she was really nervous about getting the part of Maria. Sure she was destined to play the role, but Mercedes was also competing and Artie might be swayed to her side. If that were to happen then she can kiss NYADA and any other performing arts school goodbye.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone walking up behind her. "Mind if I join you?"

Rachel turned around and smiled when she saw Quinn looking at her questionably. The blonde looked a lot better than she did earlier in the morning and she looked to be in better spirits. Rachel really couldn't blame her for breaking down. She was actually surprised it took her this long to come undone. Giving up a child for adoption is no easy or laughing matter. It leaves physical and mental scars on the mother for the rest of their lives. At least that's what her therapist always told her.

That was why Rachel was a little irritated that Shelby didn't at least give Quinn or herself for that matter, a heads up. She hadn't seen the woman yet but she knew that eventually she would. It was wrong to show up to school after being gone for over a year and then start demanding things of Quinn when the blonde was still dealing with the aftermath of giving Beth up.

"I don't mind but don't screw up my rehearsal." The diva warned playfully.

The blonde shook her head and walked over to her. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Rachel then proceeded to go back to her scales and Quinn took a seat at one of the chairs lying around. She was at it for a while and one glance at the blonde let her know that she was bored out of her mind. She took it as a personal insult. "You know you don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

"It's been almost an hour and you haven't sung one lyric. I was kind of expecting a Rachel Berry concert."

"I have to practice my range so that I have a better chance at getting Maria."

"You still could sing a song instead of boring notes." Quinn explained as she leaned forward in the chair. "Besides Artie would be stupid if he didn't cast you as Maria."

Rachel bit her bottom lip in worry and started holding her hands nervously. "You may be right, but Mercedes is also singing and she has a better voice than I do."

Quinn looked at her incredulously. "Who are you and what have you done with Rachel Berry?"

"Quinn I'm being serious here. She has a better voice than me." Rachel stated in a huff.

The blonde stood up and hazel eyes bored into hers. "I'm being serious too. The Rachel Berry I know would not let some washed up Beyoncé wannabe try and steal her dream role. The Rachel Berry that I know would not let someone walk all over her talent and make her doubt herself."

Rachel was still feeling the self-doubt and it must have shown on her face because Quinn walked over to the band and whispered something in their ears. Quinn walked back over to her. "Apparently you've been stressing out too much over this." Music started playing. "It's time to loosen up a little and just have fun."

A familiar tune registered in her mind and she grinned happily. "I didn't peg you for a Celine Dion fan." She said cheekily.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I'm not really, but this is supposed to cheer you up, not me." Then she started singing.

 _I can read your mind and I know your story  
I see what you're going through, yeah  
It's an uphill climb, and I'm feeling sorry  
But I know it will come to you_

Quinn grabbed Rachel's arms and started to move them around goofily, making the brunette giggle.

 _Don't surrender 'cause you can win_  
 _In this thing called love_

She let go of her arms and stood next to her facing the imaginary audience, then she lightly bumped her with her hip.

 _When you want it the most there's no easy way out_  
 _When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt_  
 _Don't give up on your faith_  
 _Love comes to those who believe it_  
 _And that's the way it is_

The blonde swayed gracefully in front of her with a grin on her face. Rachel was touched that Quinn was trying to cheer her up and she had to admit that it was working. The blonde waved a hand at her to take the next part and she really didn't need to be told twice.

 _When you question me for a simple answer_  
 _I don't know what to say, no_  
 _But it's plain to see, if you stick together_  
 _You're gonna find a way, yeah_

When Rachel was starting to take the song a little too seriously, the blonde gently pushed her sideways, making her stumble a little. She glared at the blonde and the innocent expression on her face.

 _So don't surrender 'cause you can win_  
 _In this thing called love_

Deciding to mess with Quinn a little, she went up behind her and started ruffling up her hair. The blonde shrieked and ran away from her, trying to comb her hair down in the process. Rachel was practically laughing out the chorus instead of singing it.

 _When you want it the most there's no easy way out_  
 _When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt_  
 _Don't give up on your faith_  
 _Love comes to those who believe it_  
 _And that's the way it is_

Quinn glowered playfully at the brunette as they both sung the next part.

 _When life is empty with no tomorrow_  
 _And loneliness starts to call_  
 _Baby, don't worry, forget your sorrow_  
 _'Cause love's gonna conquer it all, all_

On the last note, Quinn stopped singing and just pointed at Rachel while she held the note long and perfectly. It was an unspoken agreement to just sing the rest of the song together.

 _When you want it the most there's no easy way out_  
 _When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt_  
 _Don't give up on your faith_  
 _Love comes to those who believe it_  
 _And that's the way it is_

The blonde took her jacket off, held both sleeves in her hands and proceeded to roll it up. Then she ran over to Rachel and whipped her. The brunette screamed a little when the jacket came into contact with her leg but it really didn't hurt, just surprised her. Ever the performer, she didn't stop singing even though she wanted to kill Quinn.

 _When you want it the most there's no easy way out_  
 _When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt_  
 _Don't give up on your faith_  
 _Love comes to those who believe it_  
 _And that's the way it is_

Rachel was walking towards the blonde, who was slowly backing away from her, afraid of the next move. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the chair right behind her until she tripped over the thing, her butt coming into contact hard on the ground. It took Rachel everything in her power to sing the song as Quinn just gave up and was openly laughing.

 _That's the way it is_  
 _That's the way it is, babe_  
 _Don't give up on your faith_  
 _Love comes to those who believe it_  
 _And that's the way it is._

As soon as the song finished, Rachel let loose the laughter that was bubbling inside of her. Her sides were starting to hurt and it was getting harder to breathe, but seeing Quinn fall like that was hilarious. Normally the blonde is graceful and poise so seeing her so clumsy was a welcome revelation. Eventually she gained control of herself and walked over to Quinn, who was still laughing on the ground.

She held her hand out and the blonde took it, pulling herself up. Rachel looked at the messed up hair, the grin, and the twinkling hazel eyes; and felt her stomach do a little flip. She decided that she preferred a happy Quinn than a mean and brooding one.

"Thank you I really needed that."

"Anytime." Quinn said happily, as she tried to pat down the hairs that were sticking up. "Though next time don't touch the hair."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're so vain sometimes." Then she cursed herself because the song got stuck inside her head and it wouldn't leave.

It seemed like they were too happy because soon they heard a voice that neither really cared to hear right now. "You two seemed to have improved since the last time I saw you perform."

She froze as she looked at her birth mother. She could practically feel the scowl coming from Quinn. "This is a private rehearsal." Rachel said, she cursed herself because she sounded weak. Shelby didn't have the right to see her vulnerable.

"What song are you auditioning with?" Shelby asked as she made her way over to them. Rachel didn't understand why she seemed so confident, especially when she was on the receiving end of one of Quinn's HBIC stares. That always scared her back in the day. Hell it still does.

"You heard her. Leave." Quinn stated coldly. She looked over at the blonde who had a furious expression and she could practically see the fire burning in her hazel eyes.

Shelby stopped walking and sighed. "Again with the attitude." She muttered under her breath before she said louder. "I'm not here to cause any harm."

"No, you already did that."

Rachel was surprised by Quinn's tone, but she was even more shocked that it seemed like the blonde was defending her, which was new.

"Quinn, I came here to talk to Rachel, not get harassed and questioned like I committed a crime."

Before the blonde could say anything else, Rachel put a hand on her shoulder. Quinn looked at her but her expression was not as harsh as the one she gave Shelby. "Quinn, it's okay. I'm curious as to why she is here. Though if it's to try and sway me over to her show choir then she will be disappointed because I don't plan on leaving the New Directions. They are family and family means something to me."

Shelby winced at the dig but once she had both girl's undivided attention she went on. "Rachel, do you remember what I said the last time we talked, I'm your birth mother but not you're…"

"Real mother I know." Rachel interrupted. She felt the pain in her heart as she remembered that day that Shelby left her. She almost had to see a therapist again, but it was her father's unconditional love and the glee club that stopped her from being depressed over the issue.

"Please Rachel let me finish." Shelby pleaded with her. The brunette nodded her head in acknowledgment and the woman pressed on. "It was wrong of me to find you and then leave you like I did. It must have been hard for you. Then to find out that I adopted another baby girl, it must have been a hard pill to swallow."

Quinn muttered something under her breath and Rachel nudged her gently to get her to calm down. She huffed in annoyance but didn't say anything else.

"It was my fight earlier with Quinn that made me realize the damage that I caused in your life." Shelby said sadly. "That's why I came here to apologize and, whether you accept it or not, I'm truly sorry. Even though we can't have a mother/daughter relationship, I wouldn't mind striking up a friendship."

Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shelby was actually saying sorry? She pinched herself a little and was surprised when she felt the pain. So this wasn't a dream. Never in a million years would she think that the older woman would actually apologize to her. I mean that stuff happens in cheesy hallmark movies, not her life. She must have been thinking a little too long because she heard Quinn cough next to her to get her attention. She looked at the blonde who motioned with her head in the direction of Shelby.

She looked over to her birth mother, who was trying not to let the long silent pause get to her, but she could tell by the way that she was fidgeting that she was nervous. Rachel decided to put the woman out of her misery. "Shelby, I forgive you, but right now I don't think that we can have any kind of relationship. Maybe sometime in the future, we can look past our history and form a friendship."

The older woman looked a little sad but she smiled weakly at her daughter. "I understand, but remember that the door is always open. I won't close it again."

There was an awkward silence as Rachel nudged Quinn in the ribs. The blonde looked at her and shook her head, already knowing what she was going to say. The brunette huffed before nudging Quinn harder in the ribs. She glared at her and shook her head again.

Rachel finally had enough. "Quinn, you promised." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

They stared at each other for a while until eventually the blonde heaved a sigh of defeat. "Fine."

They looked over at Shelby, who looked amused by the whole exchange.

"I'm sorry for telling you off earlier." Quinn said simply and to the point.

Shelby waved her off and smiled. "Water under the bridge. I lost my cool as well. I should have given you some warning that I was coming back instead of surprising you. I'm sorry for threatening to keep Beth away from you and believing those rumors. You really do seem to have your life together, Quinn, and I would like for you to be a part of Beth's life."

Quinn looked a little choked up but she refused to let any tears fall. Rachel rolled her eyes at her tough girl façade when deep down she knew that Quinn was a big softie. It was just buried under hundreds of layers, only to come out every once in a while.

"I would like that." The blonde said happily.

Shelby nodded and looked at her watch. "Shoot, I have to go. Beth's daycare is almost done. Good luck on your audition Rachel. Quinn, we'll talk." She left in a rush, leaving the two girls.

Suddenly a thought went through Rachel's head and panic coursed through her body. She grabbed her hair and gripped the strands tightly. "Oh my god I haven't picked a song yet."

Quinn looked at her warily afraid to ask but knowing that she had to anyway. "What do you mean you don't have a song?"

"Just that. I don't have a song." Rachel was freaking out but then a thought came to her head. "Quinn, can you come over to my house and help me?"

"Sure why not." As soon as the words left her mouth, Rachel grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the building.

"We have no time to waste."

* * *

Rachel arrived at her house first since Quinn had to stop by her home to drop off her stuff. She heard the television playing and remembered that her fathers had the day off from both their jobs.

' _Oh no. What if they're mean to Quinn? I did tell them everything that went on in school over the years._ ' She thought to herself as she made her way into the room. The first few years of high school were torture for her and she always confided in her fathers. They were the ones that helped pick up the pieces whenever a bully said nasty words or threw a slushie in her face.

Then again she has been telling them how she patched up her frenemy relationship with Quinn and they moved past the bullying. They also knew about what happened in New York. Internally she flinched as she remembered the hours upon hours of lectures she got from them about always knowing where you're going at night and to walk with someone else.

She made her way into the room and Leroy paused the TV when he saw her. "Honey, how was school today?" He asked with a smile. Hiram was sitting next to him on the couch beaming at her.

"It was alright. Shelby's working there now." Her father's smiles left their faces and they looked concerned. "It's okay she apologized to me and I forgave her. Apparently Quinn let her have it earlier and she felt guilty about what she did to me."

Now their eyebrows were raised in surprise. "Quinn defended you." Hiram was astonished because he had heard some not so pleasant stories about the girl.

Rachel sighed in frustration. "I already told you that Quinn and I have looked past our differences and are friends now. Actually she's coming over here soon so please don't be rude to her."

Leroy ran a hand through his hair and looked at his daughter uneasily. "We know that, honey, but we've never met Quinn yet so it's hard for us to look past all of the horrible things she's done to you."

"Daddy, don't forget that she saved me in New York." Rachel pointed out as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"And that's the only reason why we're giving her a chance. Right, sweetheart?" Hiram warned his husband. He knew that his husband can be a little overprotective of their daughter, but she was a big girl and she could handle herself.

Leroy shook his head and held his arms up in surrender. "Fine, you win."

Rachel grinned broadly just as the doorbell rang. She squealed in excitement before she ran to the front door. She heard her father's getting up from the couch and following behind her. She opened the door and Quinn was standing on the front porch looking a little nervous.

' _She probably thinks my fathers are going to crucify her. It's kind of cute._ ' Her eyes widened a little at that last comment and she shook her head to get rid of those thoughts.

Quinn was looking at her like she lost her mind. "Rachel, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, come in." She grinned happily at the blonde and invited her inside. She noticed that she had four to go cups from the Lima Bean in a carrier.

"I wasn't sure if I should bring something so I brought lattes." Quinn explained sheepishly as she grabbed one and handed it to her.

Rachel was touched, Finn never got her a latte before or even hot chocolate for that matter. She took a drink and was surprised to taste her favorite. "How did you know what I liked?"

The blonde's cheeks reddened a little and she bit her bottom lip. "I might have asked the guy at the counter." She tried not to make eye contact with her and found her jacket a lot more interesting.

If it was possible, Rachel smiled even wider. "Aww, Quinn, that's so sweet of you. Thank you." The blonde blushed even more.

A cough was heard from the hallway bringing her attention to her fathers, who seemed to have witnessed the whole event if their grins were anything to go by.

"Rachel, are you going to introduce us to your friend here?" Hiram asked politely.

"Yes I'm sorry." She motioned her hand towards her fathers. "Quinn, these are my fathers, Hiram and Leroy Berry." Then her hand moved to point at the blonde. "Dad, daddy, this is my friend, Quinn Fabray."

The nervousness seemed to have left Quinn for the time being and she looked completely serious. "Mr. and Mr. Berry, I'm sure Rachel's told you about our history?"

Rachel was looking at her baffled. ' _What is she doing? I just got them to be nice._ '

Her fathers looked just as serious as the blonde. "Yes we are aware of the bullying." Leroy said stiffly, but he didn't elaborate or say anything further. That's a god send because he had a short temper.

"I just want to say that, from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry for everything that I ever did to your daughter." Rachel looked stunned and apparently so did her fathers. She was not expecting that. "Nothing can excuse my behavior. I was a monster, but Rachel somehow found it in her heart to forgive me, which makes her a way better person than I ever was back then. I don't blame you if you can never forgive me because I honestly can't forgive myself." Quinn's face looked troubled and the self-loathing was evident in her eyes.

Tears were starting to form in her eyes at her speech, but Rachel's heart went out to Quinn. She just didn't understand why the blonde could be so hard on herself sometimes. She was a wonderful person and the brunette knew that deep down inside. That had to be why she constantly sought out the other girl when clearly she didn't want anything to do with her when they were younger.

Her fathers were looking at Quinn thoughtfully, gone was the seriousness and the animosity. "It takes a mature person to own up to their mistakes." Hiram said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I forgive you."

The blonde looked genuinely shocked, but it seems like Leroy had something to say as well. Rachel crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. "My husband's right, you didn't have to come to us and apologize for what you did, but you did anyway. That takes a lot of courage. I forgive you too."

Rachel clapped her hands, and jumped up and down happily; while Quinn just looked flabbergasted. "I'm not forcing you to forgive me so don't feel like you have to." Quinn said.

The Berry's laughed at her which confused the blonde even more. Rachel sided up to the blonde's side and whispered in her ear. "Just take this as a win. Don't worry so much. They seem to really like you." She felt Quinn ease a little but she still looked uncomfortable.

Leroy smiled at her mischievously. "Judy's right, you're adorable."

She blushed and groaned, trying to cover her face with her hand. Rachel forgot that Quinn mentioned that her mother quit the real estate business and went back into law. Judy Fabray even found a job at the firm that Leroy worked at.

"At least mom's making friends." She heard Quinn mutter to herself.

Hiram decided to take pity on her and changed the subject. "Why don't you girls head on upstairs?"

Rachel grabbed Quinn's arm and tried to drag her upstairs but she didn't move. She looked at her in confusion but the blonde grabbed a latte from the container and handed it to Leroy. She then did the same to Hiram. Both men smiled and took a drink; delight went over their faces at the taste.

"Rachel, you should invite Quinn over more often. She's a lot more considerate than that ex-boyfriend of yours and she brings lattes." Leroy commented, taking another drink and sighing in happiness.

"Thank you Quinn, but you didn't have to get us anything. You're a guest." Hiram responded, smiling at the blonde who smiled back.

"You're welcome Mr. Berry."

"Call me Hiram. We tend to get confused when people address us as Mr. Berry." Everyone laughed and Quinn went upstairs with Rachel.

Rachel was so happy that her fathers seemed to really like Quinn. The apology on top of the latte must have sealed the deal and charmed her father's immensely. Even she was surprised that the blonde apologized to them. She did apologize to her months ago and Rachel forgave her, but it was still nice to see that Quinn was really trying in this friendship.

They went inside her room and Rachel shut the door behind her. Quinn made her way into the room and sat on the bed.

"Funny, I was expecting a lot more gold stars." She said cheekily.

Rachel rolled her eyes and went over to her computer. "Ha, ha, you're hilarious." She sarcastically commented. She turned her computer on and looked at the blonde. "Did you bring your iPod?"

The blonde nodded and reached into her purse, pulling out the desired item. She handed it over to Rachel, who quickly scanned the artists. As she looked through her library, she was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of different genres from all walks of life.

"Hmmmm…I was expecting more Motown."

"You're one to talk. I'm sure yours is filled with show tunes."

"Mostly but I like artists from other genres as well." Rachel sighed when she couldn't really find anything. "Maybe I should sing _I Feel Pretty_. I know I'm amazing at it."

"I don't think that's a good idea. They'll expect you to sing something like that." Quinn explained reaching over and grabbing her iPod from the divas hands. "What you need is a song that will blow them away and make them not even think about Mercedes."

She was browsing for a few minutes until her eyes lit up. She got up and put the iPod on the dock. "I just recently bought this album on iTunes. This song is not well known yet, but it's probably going to be a single soon. It's called _Titanium_ by David Guetta, but the song is sung by Sia."

The music started playing and Rachel closed her eyes so that she can really hear the music. Once the song was over, she opened her eyes and looked at Quinn. "I don't know. It's a little too dance track for me."

Quinn smirked and sat back down on the bed. "I thought that you would say that, which is why we should slow it down. Make it more emotional and epic. That way you can really play with the vocals."

Rachel liked what she was hearing, but she still had some reservations. "Wouldn't that take a while though? I have to audition in the morning."

"Not really, as long as I can download the sheet music. It might take me two hours tops."

"If you say so." Quinn grinned back victorious. "Wouldn't that take away from your audition though?" Rachel asked, not wanting to take time out of her schedule.

"I'm not auditioning." Quinn stated, making the brunette look at her in horror. "I just got on the football team and I'm still learning the ropes. I just don't think I have enough time."

"But Coach Beiste is in charge of the play. It won't coincide with football practice." Rachel said, now really disappointed. She thought that Quinn was trying out as well.

Quinn looked unsure. "I don't know."

"Please, Quinn, it'll be a lot of fun." Rachel pleaded, giving the blonde her best puppy dog look.

"I didn't even grab a form."

"I have extra copies of them in case I wanted to write something else down." Rachel stated, grabbing a piece of paper from the stack on her desk and handing it to Quinn. "It'll be fun, I promise."

The blonde sighed in defeat and grabbed the form. "Alright. I guess I can always try out for a smaller role."

Rachel beamed happily as Quinn started filling out the form. "I'm so excited. Since you picked out my song, it's only fair if I pick yours."

Quinn stopped writing and groaned. "I'm going to regret this." She muttered to herself but Rachel heard her loud and clear.

"Don't be such a party pooper." She frowned at her. She plucked the iPod from the dock and went to see if Quinn had any show tunes. Nobody would expect Quinn Fabray to sing a song from a musical.

She found the desired song and smirked to herself. "I think that this is the perfect song to sing." Then she put it back on the dock and played it.

Quinn actually giggled when the song started playing. " _I Believe_ from The Book of Mormon, really Rachel? Do you want me to offend someone?"

"Oh come on, it'll be funny. No one would expect you to sing it." Rachel responded. "Besides, why is it on _your_ iPod?"

"I went to see it over the summer with my family." Quinn explained. "I really enjoyed it so I bought the cd."

"I wanted to see it, but they're not coming around here yet." The song stopped playing and Rachel hit pause on the dock. "So are you singing it or what?"

"How do you always talk me into things?" Quinn wondered shaking her head. At Rachel's expectant look, she sighed. "I guess I have no choice."

Rachel beamed and pumped her fist victoriously. They worked for the next couple of hours. Quinn finished up the arrangement for the diva's song and once she sang it a few times, the blonde seemed satisfied with it. Rachel also heard the blonde sing her song a few times and each time made her burst out in laughter.

Soon Quinn had to leave because her mom was expecting her for dinner and it was getting late. They finished filling out their forms and Rachel offered to turn Quinn's in because she was going to talk to Artie in the morning. The blonde agreed and then she left, saying goodbye to Rachel's fathers on her way out.

Rachel looked over Quinn's form and saw that she was only trying out for a small part as one of the females on the Jets side. A devious idea came to her head. Under the checklist that said which part to try out for she checked Tony and Riff. ' _Quinn's going to kill me when she finds out._ ' She thought to herself, but she knew that Artie was into casting people in nontraditional roles and what was more different than a female Tony. Quinn was definitely leading material and she would have no problems capturing Tony's character. Of course she could have checked Maria as well, but she would rather not have more competition and she didn't want to crush Quinn's dreams when she beat her. Plus it would be fun to star opposite the blonde.

"I can't wait until tomorrow." She said to herself as she lay on her bed staring up at the poster of Barbra Streisand. "Soon I will be as famous as you. I can see it now."

* * *

"When are you auditioning?" Quinn asked Blaine as they were walking down the halls. They were on their way to lunch and then she was supposed to audition.

Rachel auditioned earlier and she made sure to be in the audience when she performed. Everything went off without a hitch and the brunette sounded amazing as always. Quinn even swore that she saw the directors wiping tears from their eyes after she was done. When Rachel saw her in the back of the auditorium, she winked at her, which left her feeling a little weird but she wasn't going to dwell on that. All she knew was that Rachel pretty much earned that role of Maria and she was proud of her.

"After school tomorrow. I saw Kurt perform earlier and he was amazing. I'm sure that he is going to get Tony." Blaine said as they got in line.

Quinn shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a lunch tray. "That depends on who else is auditioning. I figured that you would be trying out for Tony."

Blaine shook his head as he grabbed a few items from the line, Quinn following right behind him. "It wouldn't feel right to me I'm only a junior. It should go to a senior."

"You're just trying to avoid a fight with your boyfriend." Quinn smirked deviously at him, making him blush.

"That too, but seriously it should go to a senior. I'll have a chance next year." They paid for their food and made their way over to the Glee Club table.

"You're too chivalrous. People will start taking advantage of you." Quinn warned. They were the first ones there so they took seats opposite each other and started to eat.

The dark haired boy waved his apple at her. "I'll have you know that people find that very charming about me."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Kurt and your mother don't count." Blaine blushed but didn't say anything else, which meant that she was right. She decided to take pity on her friend and changed the topic. "How's the campaign going?"

"Not well." Blaine said sadly. "Kurt had a meltdown over the posters hanging up in the hallways. Getting into NYADA seems to be taking over his life."

"To be fair, the posters were a bit much, but that's just Brittany." She explained, giggling as she vividly remembered Kurt riding a unicorn. "Don't worry, Kurt will get in somewhere. It might not be NYADA, but any school is better than being stuck here for the rest of your life."

Blaine nodded in agreement, but then something seemed to have caught his eye behind her because his mouth dropped open. She looked over her shoulder and felt her own jaw drop open as well.

Rachel was standing behind her with a lunch tray and dressed like she was in the 15th century. Her face reddened under the stares but she still took a seat next to Quinn.

"Do I even want to know?" Quinn asked as the brunette started eating her salad. People all around the room were staring at her like she was crazy.

After a long pause, Rachel finished chewing her food and looked at Quinn and Blaine. "If you must know, I was helping Kurt audition again for Tony. We were reciting a scene from Romeo and Juliet, and I'll have you know that I memorized the whole scene on my first read through."

"Kurt already auditioned for Tony." Blaine looked really confused.

"Apparently he overheard the directors and they didn't think that he was masculine enough to play the part. So he asked me to help him audition again."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that it didn't go over well since he's not here." Quinn said, feeling a little sad for Kurt but at the same time she kind of understood where the directors were coming from. Kurt really isn't the manliest guy out there.

Rachel sighed and looked really guilty. "They laughed throughout the whole performance and then when he tried to kiss me, I laughed as well. He ran off upset and I tried to find him, but I gave up and came here instead."

Blaine stood up from his seat, looking really worried for his boyfriend. "I'm going to find him and see if he's alright. Good luck on your audition, Quinn." They waved goodbye to him and watched him leave the room.

Quinn finished up her meal and waited for Rachel to be done. She figured that the brunette wanted to see her audition and she didn't mind waiting.

Once Rachel was finished, they got up and threw their garbage away and walked to the auditorium.

"Are you nervous?" Rachel asked her.

"Aren't you embarrassed walking around in that costume?" Quinn countered. Seriously who walks around in public in a Shakespeare outfit? Only Rachel Berry.

She blushed and looked down at herself shyly. "I'll change after your audition."

The blonde sighed as they made their way into the auditorium. Artie, Coach Beiste, and Miss. Pillsbury were already at the director's desk and were waiting for her.

"Quinn, right on time. If you make your way to the stage, you can start whenever you're ready." Artie called out to her.

Rachel grabbed her forearm and squeezed gently, smiling at her reassuringly. "Good luck, you'll do great."

Quinn smiled and made her way to the stage. Once she was in the middle of the stage, she took a deep breath and faced the directors.

"What will you be singing for us today?" Emma asked politely.

" _I Believe_ from The Book of Mormon." The blank spaces on their faces let her know that they haven't heard of this song yet. She sighed to herself because this could be a good thing or a bad thing. ' _I really hope I don't offend anyone._ '

The music started playing and Quinn quickly got into character. She moved around the stage as she sang; but she tried not to move too much because she didn't want to run out of breath. That was her main concern, especially when it came to the long notes. She did take extra time over the summer to practice her vocal range and she was happy that it seemed to pay off.

At first, they looked surprised that she was singing a show tune of all things, but they quickly got into the song and laughed when they were supposed to laugh. Coach Beiste was even holding her sides because she was laughing so hard.

Looking to the back of the auditorium, she saw Rachel grinning at her and giving her two thumbs up. As the end of the song neared, she braced herself for the long notes and when she let them fly, she was glad that she didn't sound shaky or run out of air.

As soon as the song finished, the teachers were up out of their seats clapping enthusiastically while Artie was whistling. Quinn reddened under the praise, not quite used to it.

They settled down and Artie leaned over into the mic. "Wow that was amazing. I didn't think that you could sing like that."

"I've been working on my voice over the summer." Quinn replied, relieved that they liked it and that they weren't pissed off at her.

Artie nodded his head in acknowledgement and looked down her form. His eyebrows raised a little and she wondered what he was reading. "It says here that you would like to be Tony instead of Maria. Can I ask why?"

Quinn looked confused and was about to say something when an idea or more like someone else's scheme popped into her head. Sure enough when she glanced in Rachel's direction, she saw the guilty expression on her face. ' _Dammit Rachel! I told her that I wanted a small part, not a huge one like freaking Tony!_ '

She was about to tell them that it was a mistake, but then she saw the brunette hold her hands up like she was going to pray and mouth. "Please Quinn. It'll be fun." Quinn groaned and cursed the girl again in her mind, finding it really hard to tell her no.

"Ummm…Quinn, do you mind answering." Artie asked again though this time he seemed a little uncertain.

That jerked her out of her thoughts and with one final look at her pleading friend, she made up her mind. "I felt like shaking things up a little." She explained, coming up with the excuse on the fly. "Besides it would be kind of stupid to compete against power houses like Rachel and Mercedes. I wouldn't stand a chance."

That seemed to have been a good enough answer because Artie was nodding along in agreement. "While I do think that it would be a drastic change from the original, I also am not against the idea either. Let us think about our decision and we'll get back to you."

Quinn smiled politely at them before she got off the stage and made her way to the doors. Rachel followed her out. The doors closed and the blonde rounded on her. "You signed me up for Tony?!" She exclaimed.

Rachel winced but she held her ground. "Well I couldn't have signed you up for Maria. That's my dream role! Besides you deserve more than just a small role."

"While I may understand you're reasoning, you do remember that Tony is a guy. Last time I checked, I was a girl."

"You're perfect for the role though. You have a wonderful voice; you're a great dancer and a marvelous actress. Tony is a young man that is trying to change his life around and live a better life with Maria. That's what you've been doing since school started. Besides it's not that hard to switch a few things around, girls are called Tony you know. Plus it will be a lot of fun."

"You keep saying that but I have yet to see any truth in your statement." Quinn responded.

Rachel stomped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop being so difficult. Admit it, you had a lot of fun up there and you're not mad that I signed you up for Tony."

"Of course I'm not mad because I know that I will never get the role." Quinn explained to the diva, who just huffed in response. She rolled her eyes at her behavior because she should be the one that's mad, not the other way around. "I did have fun up there though."

She stuck her tongue out at her and grinned knowingly. "See I told you so."

Quinn shook her head and laughed. "That doesn't mean that I will get the role though."

"O ye, of little faith."

"You know it's kind of weird that you're quoting that line wearing a get up like that." Pain coursed through her arm as Rachel slapped her. "What I'm being honest."

Rachel huffed and did her signature diva storm off. "You can be such a jerk sometimes, Quinn Fabray." She shot over her shoulder and walked off.

Quinn rubbed her forehead where her signature Rachel Berry headache was starting to form. "I'm the one that's supposed to be mad." She muttered to herself as she walked to her locker.

* * *

Leroy Berry was just finishing up some documents and getting ready to head home for the day. The Smith vs Johnson case was really starting to grow old and he prayed that this was the last time that he had to deal with this case. This was the third time that Johnson has sued Smith over property lines and Leroy was starting to get fed up.

He heard a knock and looked up to see Judy Fabray standing in the doorway. She was dressed business casual and she had a light smile on her face.

"I thought that I was the only one still here." Leroy commented, saving all his notes on his laptop and closing it. He motioned for her to take a seat.

Judy walked over and sat down. "I was just finishing up my opening argument on the Gladwin case."

"Well if you need any help, let me know."

"Thank you but that won't be necessary I was the best debater on my debate team." Her face grew serious and Leroy stood a little straighter in his seat. "Quinnie told me about what happened the other night at your home. I would like to say thank you for being so welcoming to her. I know it must have been hard to look past what my daughter did to yours."

He sighed and leaned back in his computer chair. "I didn't think that I could ever forgive the person that tormented my daughter for years, but Quinn's such a sweetheart. It's hard to imagine that she could be that cruel and mean." He really did try and be intimidating and give her a hard time, but Quinn's confidence and bravery really won him over. Not many kids her age can be mature and admit that they were wrong and seek forgiveness. Plus she brought him a latte which made her okay in his book.

The blonde across from him hung her head in shame and started to wring her hands together in her lap. "Quinn's home life wasn't the greatest growing up and she wasn't happy." She looked him in the eyes. "Though it really doesn't excuse the way she treated your daughter."

"It's all in the past now. My family has forgiven Quinn." He smiled brightly at her. "Actually we may owe her for saving Rachel back in New York."

A look of irritation crossed over her face and he looked at her in confusion. She noticed and tried to explain herself. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Quinnie saved Rachel but she shouldn't have charged in there all by herself. She may have walked out with a broken nose but it could have been a lot worse."

"I get what you're saying. Hiram and I lectured Rachel for hours about walking alone at night."

"Our daughters are going to be the death of us." Judy replied, making them both laugh.

Once the laughter died down, Leroy decided to try and throw out an olive branch. He never really had a reason to dislike Judy, but he never cared for Russel Fabray and his way of preaching about his disgust for homosexuality. "What are you doing this Friday? Maybe you and Quinn can come over for dinner?"

She looked at him regretfully. "I would love to but it's Quinn's first game and I don't want to miss it."

"Oh yeah I forgot. If you don't mind the extra company, could Hiram and I join you? I'm sure Rachel will already be there whether or not we go." He actually was a fan of football, but he didn't watch it as much as he wanted to because his husband and daughter hated sports.

Judy smiled excitedly but then she looked hesitant. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to go."

He waved her off. "Nonsense it will be fun."

They grinned at each other and made plans to meet up at the game, and go out to eat later.

* * *

It was Friday night and Rachel was sitting in the stands waiting for the game to start. To her right were Kurt and Blaine, while her fathers and Judy Fabray was sitting to her left. She was a little surprised to see the older blonde sitting with her dads, but apparently Judy and Leroy had struck up a friendship now that they worked together. She didn't have a problem with it. In fact, Judy seemed really nice and was overly kind to her.

' _Maybe she feels guilty about how Quinn treated me over the years?_ ' She wondered more than once that night. ' _I hope not because I've already forgiven Quinn. I don't want things to be awkward._ '

Rachel was currently staring down at Quinn, who wore the number 21 on her chest. The blonde actually looked really good in her football outfit. Her short hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and she was talking with Coach Beiste.

Throughout the day, Quinn seemed to be a bundle of nerves. She hardly ever talked with anyone, only saying things in 4 words or less. During lunch, Rachel had to practically shove slices of apple down her throat.

She thought that it was cute at first, but towards the end of the day, the brunette was at her wits end. She understood why the blonde was nervous, this was something that she had never done before; but at the same time she knew that Quinn was an excellent athlete and probably knew how to play the game decently.

"Quinn looks like she's going to puke." Kurt commented dryly. He really didn't feel like being here and he voiced his complaints earlier about being forced to come.

Blaine shook his head and waved enthusiastically at Quinn, who stopped talking to Coach Beiste and saw them up in the stands. "She's going to be fine. So quit being such a spoilsport."

Kurt bristled beside her and Rachel held back a laugh as she waved to Quinn. The blonde smiled weakly and waved back halfheartedly. "Kurt, just because Brittany is running against you doesn't mean that you have to take your bad mood out on everyone else."

He didn't respond to either of them and crossed his arms over his chest. He was about to say something but the players started to make their way on the field, signaling the start of the game.

The ref flipped the coin and the other team won the coin toss. Rachel wasn't sure what school the Falcons were from but she did like the purple and black on their jerseys. The Titians were the first team to kick the ball and give it to the other team.

Honestly Rachel had no idea what was going on. You would think that dating Finn and making out with Puck would have given her some sort of clue, but she was pretty lost. She glanced at Kurt and noticed the glazed over look in his eyes. At least she wasn't the only one.

Soon the other team got the ball, thanks to a really hard tackle from Lauren Zizes. Rachel winced when she rammed into the other player and he did not get back up. They had to carry him to the sidelines.

Rachel perked up when she saw number 21 run down the field at a brisk pace. She knew that Quinn was fast in gym class, but it seemed like the blonde has been really training these last few days.

Finn saw that she was open and threw the ball towards her. As soon as Quinn was about to catch the ball, a cheer from the sidelines rang out.

"S.U.C.K. Fabray's not going to catch the ball because she sucks. Yeah, yeah she sucks." The Cheerios cheered out, catching everyone off guard, even Quinn who dropped the ball. The Cheerios started cheering when they saw that.

Rachel was looking at the Cheerios in shock. How can you cheer against your own team? Santana was smirking at Quinn who scowled at the Latina before she went back into the huddle. Brittany looked upset and tried to whisper something to Santana who shrugged her off.

The Titians got ready for their next play and as soon as the ball was in Finn's hands, Quinn ran up the field. Finn threw the ball again towards the blonde and that's when the Cheerios started cheer-taunting.

"You can't score a touchdown when you can't even catch the ball. You S.T.I.N.K. You stink!" A Cheerio even shined a red laser light into Quinn's eyes, making her close them and drop the ball again.

The blonde ripped her helmet off and marched over to Santana. "What the hell are you playing at?!" She shouted at her.

Before Santana could respond, the ref came over to them. "Personal foul for number 21! Unsportsmanlike conduct."

Everyone looked shocked and Quinn looked furious. "Did you see them shine a laser in my eyes?!"

The ref shook his head. "I didn't see anything and if you don't step away then I will eject you from the game."

Puck ran over to Quinn and started to take her away from the Cheerios. The whole team looked pissed.

'What the hell is the ref thinking?!" Leroy exclaimed as everyone in the stands booed. "I could clearly see the laser."

Rachel just looked at Quinn worriedly. ' _I don't think this is going to end well._ '

* * *

Finn gritted his teeth as the other team was able to score another touchdown. It was almost the end of the second quarter but they were already down by 18 points. He didn't even know how they managed that field goal, but the other team was scoring nothing but touchdowns.

The Cheerios never stopped their relentless attack on Quinn. Every time the ball was coming her way, they would either shine a laser in her eye or cheer something terrible that would make her miss. The blonde was getting beyond frustrated, but she was afraid to say anything or she would be kicked out. The team couldn't afford to take her out of the game for long because she was one of the better players, no matter how she was playing right then.

Coach Beiste tried telling off Coach Sylvester but that fell on death ears and earned her a personal foul, infuriating the football coach.

The vibe was even affecting the whole team because Finn was starting to get too pissed to concentrate, so his throws were off. Puck was so mad that he kicked over the bench, which earned him a personal foul.

The audience was starting to get angry as well, if the death threats for the ref were anything to go by. Finn even swore that he heard Ms. Fabray calling for his head on a platter.

The team took to the field again. The Cheerios decided to start with the mean cheering right off the bat, but it seemed like Brittany had had enough. Finn looked in mild surprise as the blonde grabbed her pom-poms and walked in front of the stands.

"Go, go Titians. Mighty, Mighty Titians. You can beat the Falcons but please don't kill them! They're pretty birds!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Then she went over the cheer again with the people in the stands joining her. It was an odd cheer but it was a lot better than what the Cheerios were saying.

Finn looked at Quinn who had a small smile on her face and was shaking her head. He looked over to Coach Sylvester who was whispering something to the ref. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her put something into his pocket and saw the ref nod in reply.

' _Is she paying him off?_ ' He thought to himself. It would explain why the ref was letting the Cheerios get away with anything, while everyone else was getting personal fouls left and right.

The ref made his way over to Brittany and declared loudly. "You're ejected from the game."

The crowd started booing loudly and Brittany looked like she was about to cry. He felt someone brush harshly against his side and his eyes widened when he saw Quinn start marching towards the ref furious.

Knowing that no good was going to come with this, he ran after her. He looked to his left and saw Santana walking to the ref as well, looking angry.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Quinn shouted, throwing her helmet to the ground. "All she was doing was cheering!"

She went over to Brittany's side, acting like a wall between her and the ref. The ref looked down at her coldly. "You're ejected from the game."

Now the crowd looked like they were going to riot as screams and boos came back full force. Finn was fuming as he reached Quinn's side.

"You shouldn't even be allowed to referee. I saw Coach Sylvester put money in your pocket. She's bribing you." Finn declared to the ref, who now looked extremely scared.

To his surprise, the boos were even louder. A few people were even starting to throw food and drink cups at him.

He tried to run away but Coach Beiste appeared out of nowhere and reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of cash. She glared at the man and cracked her knuckles. "I suggest you leave now before I put you in a world of hurt." He didn't need to be told twice so he ran off.

"Coach, what are we going to do about a ref? We can't play unless we have one." Mike asked.

"It looks like we're going to have cancel the game." Coach Beiste said, glaring at Coach Sylvester, who was walking over to them.

"Well Shannon, it looks like you've lost. How sad that you can't have better players." She took a sideways glance at Quinn, who glared at her.

Coach Beiste got up in her face. "If you're Cheerios weren't such cheaters and blinded my players then we would have won."

"Who says that the games over?" A voice said from behind them.

They all looked over at a guy who looked to be in his thirties and had an average build with light brown hair. "Cooter Menkins, I'm a football recruiter for Ohio State. I can also be a stand in ref. I took a few classes in college." He explained himself with an easy going smile.

Finn felt his stomach drop. ' _Oh shit there's recruiters here? I hope he doesn't pass on me because of this game._ ' It wasn't his fault that the Cheerios were screwing them up left and right.

He looked at Coach Beiste, who appeared to be blushing. No that can't be right she's probably still pissed. "You might be able to, but we have to talk to the other coach and the principals. Let's start halftime early and see what they say. Everyone head to the locker rooms." Coach Beiste said before she walked off with Cooter towards the other team.

Finn was about to head to the locker rooms, but an argument started to break out between Quinn and Santana, rooting him to the spot.

"How could you get Brittany ejected from the game?!" Quinn demanded, wrapping an arm around the other blonde's waist. Brittany was wiping at her eyes as she leaned into Quinn's touch in comfort.

"Me! She was cheering for you!" Santana shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her. "This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you!"

"She wouldn't have had to cheer for me if you weren't being such a bitch and shining lights in my eyes!"

"Don't blame me just because you can't handle the pressure!"

Quinn growled and looked like she wanted to throttle the other girl, but Finn decided that enough was enough. He had to step in before things became even worse and an actual fight broke out between the two.

"That's it!" He shouted taking his helmet off and slamming it on the ground. The Unholy Trinity all looked at him in surprise, but that didn't deter him. "Santana, you are way out of line!"

The Latina scoffed at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "This has nothing to do with you, puffy tits, so I suggest you leave before I go all Lima Heights on you."

The quarterback pushed back his rage at the insult. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he lost his temper too. "It does when you're screwing up the game for everyone. Quinn is supposed to be your best friend and this is how you treat her. You come up with mean spirited cheers and point lasers in her eyes. You could have blinded her." He stared at Santana, who was looking at her nails in boredom then he looked at Quinn who was looking at him in mild surprise. "Then you upset Brittany and get her kicked out of the game. If that's how you treat your friends, I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies."

Santana looked up at him. "Are you done yet?" He nodded his head but he knew that he didn't get through to her. "If you really want to see how I treat my enemies then I suggest you stand right there and wait."

He was about to reply but then Coach Beiste showed back up with Cooter. "I told you guys to head to the locker room."

"We wanted to see if we can even play first." Puck lied from behind him. Finn smiled gratefully at the Mohawk teen. He didn't want to get on Coach's bad side because she was already in a foul mood.

"Yes we can still play." Coach Beiste said, making all the football players cheer. "But we're ending this quarter early and going into halftime."

"Before we head into halftime, let me first revoke my colleague's earlier calls." Cooter said, looking at Quinn and Brittany. "You two are no longer ejected from the game." They smiled at the man and Brittany even tried to jump on Quinn, making the footballer stumble a little under the weight. Cooter then turned toward Coach Sylvester, Santana and the Cheerios. "You're all ejected from the game for the worst case of unsportsmanlike conduct that I have ever seen." The crowd started cheering as the Cheerios all glared at him and started walking away.

Santana stood her ground and held a hand out to Brittany. "Let's go Britt. This was starting to get lame anyway."

"I'm not going." Brittany stated, making the Latina's eyes widen in shock. Judging by the look on Quinn's face, even she looked surprised.

"Brittany, they kicked us out. We have to go."

Brittany walked confidently out of Quinn's embrace and glared at her best friend? Girlfriend? Fuck he had no clue what they were this week. "He can't kick me out if I'm no longer a Cheerio."

Everyone was looking at her in shock and awe, but it was Santana's look of hurt that he would remember. He knew that she had a heart buried somewhere. "Brittany, you can't quit the Cheerios. This is our senior year." The Latina all but begged.

"The only reason I joined again was because you said that this was supposed to be fun." The blonde refused to be swayed and Finn was really impressed. Normally Brittany just went with whatever Santana was doing. So seeing her arguing with the dark haired girl was something that he has never seen before. "Tonight was anything but fun. I would rather be shot out of a cannon instead of deliberately hurting my best friend."

"B, you don't have to quit on my account. You really like cheering." Quinn said from behind the blonde. She looked really touched by what Brittany was saying.

Brittany looked over her shoulder and smiled. "No, I like being on a team with my best friends. It doesn't matter what we're doing." Quickly Quinn looked down at her feet to hide her face but Finn was sure that he heard a little sniffle. Brittany went over to hug her but it looked awkward with the shoulder pads. "Oh Q, you're such a unicorn." He wasn't sure what that meant but it made her laugh all the same.

Santana seemed to have reached her breaking point. "You're going to regret this." Then she stormed off in a huff as Quinn and Brittany broke apart. Brittany looked sadly at Santana's back, but she made no move to run after her.

"I expect your uniform pressed and cleaned on my desk Monday morning." Coach Sylvester seethed. He forgot that she was still here. Finn gulped when he saw the murderous expression on her face. How can they allow her to teach children? "By no means think that this is over yet, Pierce, because the gauntlet has been thrown and blood will be spilled." Seriously how is she a teacher? "Once you two traitors come to your senses and all but beg me to come back, you better realize that Sue Sylvester does not hand out third chances." Then she stormed off, leaving everyone staring at her back.

"How the fuck is she still a teacher?" Puck questioned out loud not really expecting an answer.

Quinn looked at Brittany with a warm expression on her face. Finn was actually surprised that she was capable to even move her face like that because she never gave him that look. "Thank you." Then to his complete surprise, she turned to him. "Thank you both for defending me. It wasn't necessary, but I'm grateful."

He grinned brightly at her and rubbed his hand against the back of his head. "That's what teammates are for."

"How about friends?" She smirked at him, making him look at her in amazement. Quinn seemed to be full of surprises lately, but never in a million years would he think that she would want to strike up a friendship again after the way he treated her. She even went Taylor Swift on him and wrote about how much he sucked as a boyfriend in a song.

All he could do is nod his head because no words could come to his mind. He was beyond moved and when he saw the sincerity in her hazel eyes, he knew that she was serious. ' _Wow she's really changed and matured._ '

Brittany squealed happily and threw her arms around Quinn again, making the blonde gasp as she stumbled forward. The taller blonde really did seem like a ball of energy.

Coach Beiste decided to break up the moment by coughing loudly, getting everyone's attention. "As much as I hate to ruin a touching moment, we have a game to win." Everyone cheered and started heading towards the locker room. The older woman looked at Brittany and Finn could practically see the gears turning in her head. "Pierce, it seems that you're no longer on the Cheerios, what do you think about joining the football team?"

The taller blonde nodded happily. "Can I be number 69?" She asked.

Quinn was looking at her in concern. "Are you sure, Britt? Won't this be a little too much since your running for class president?"

"I'm so amazing that I can do both." She declared but then she looked worried. "How do you play?"

Finn was looking at her like she was crazy, but Quinn was looking at her thoughtfully. "Well if you're really serious, I can explain it."

"Will she even be able to play today?" Finn asked. He didn't want to test out a new player during a game, especially when they have no idea what's going on.

Quinn grinned at him, looking a lot like the cat that ate the canary. "Don't worry, she'll be ready."

* * *

"Do you think that they can come back from this?" Rachel asked Leroy as the third quarter was starting to get underway.

She could not believe that happened earlier. How could Coach Sylvester get away with bribing a ref and getting her cheerleaders to bully another student like that? She was already thinking about what she was going to write to the ACLU when she got home.

"I think that they have a good shot since those cheerleaders got ejected from the game. No more distractions." Leroy responded before he took a bite from his hotdog.

Glancing down at the field, she smiled as she saw Brittany all decked out in football gear with the number 69. The taller blonde was jumping up and down excitedly as Quinn was standing beside her. It looked like she was trying to explain the game to her from what she could tell.

The teams went out on the field as the Titians had the ball. As soon as the ball touched Finn's hands, the two blondes raced down the field in different directions. Rachel was looking at Brittany in amazement as she spirited across the field like a freaking cheetah. Wow could she run and she thought Quinn was fast.

Finn chucked the ball towards Quinn, who finally caught the ball this time. The blonde took off, running towards the goal line. "Pudding!" She screamed, making Rachel look at her in confusion.

It seemed like Brittany got what she was saying because she started to run over to her diagonally. One of the Falcons seemed to be gaining on Quinn but Brittany quickly tackled the boy before he was able to touch her.

Seeing that she no longer had anyone close to her, she made a mad dash towards the goal line, jumping up and down when she made her first ever touchdown. Brittany ran up behind her and they both started jumping up and down. The crowd stood up and started cheering and clapping.

That's how the rest of the game went, whenever Finn threw the ball to either Quinn or Brittany, it was guaranteed that they would make a big play. At first it seemed like the other team was too afraid to even touch them but after Brittany's third touchdown, they decided to play rough and didn't hold back when they tackled them. When Brittany was first tackled, she thought that he was trying to play with her so she tackled him back, which earned her a foul.

The odd thing was that every time there was a play on the field Quinn would shout out some type of food and Brittany would do something whether it be to keep running, guard for Quinn or someone else, or catch the ball.

"Is Quinn hungry or something? Why is she shouting out food?" Kurt asked after a while. He stopped being so pissy and looked genuinely interested in the game or he was looking at the football players butts. Rachel really wasn't sure.

Judy Fabray looked over to them and tried to explain. "Quinn's helping Brittany understand the plays by calling out food. The girl has always had a different way of learning so Quinn and Santana always come up with creative ways to help her understand and remember things better."

Rachel was actually a little impressed that Quinn was nice enough to help her friend out like that. It was no surprise that the taller blonde was unique, what with her strange outlook on life, but she always wondered how Brittany tried to think inside the box when she was constantly outside of it. It made sense that her two best friends would try and help her out, and make it easier to learn. "I didn't think that they were that close." Rachel said to the other woman.

"They've been best friends since grade school. Quinn, Brittany and Santana have always had this weird understanding of one another. They just lost touch a little when they went into high school." She smiled when she saw Brittany tackle Quinn from behind on the sidelines. The shorter blonde fell over on the ground and they both started laughing. "It's nice that they seem to have moved past their disagreements."

"What about Santana?"

Judy sighed and looked a little worried. "She won't admit it to anyone out loud but she's upset that Quinn joined the football team instead of the Cheerios. She would just rather lash out instead of telling anyone her feelings. Trust me it's not the first time and it certainly won't be the last."

Kurt looked pretty interested in the topic as the other team scored tying up the game. "Does that mean that she'll get over it?"

"Eventually, but no one knows how long since this is Santana were talking about."

They left the conversation at that as the offense took the field. There was only about a minute left of the game and it was crunch time.

The ball snapped into Finn's hands and he threw the ball but he ended up throwing it too short and it went nowhere. On his second attempt he didn't have enough time and was quickly sacked. The clock was slowly running out as the team got into formation.

The ball reached Finn's hands as the guards were pushing back the other team. Quinn and Brittany sprinted down the field, weaving out of the way of the Falcons. Finn threw a long ball at Quinn who jumped up and caught the ball. She steadied herself quickly and ran towards the goal post.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a falcon closing in on her and she knew that she was going to get tackled. "Fondue!" She shouted over to Brittany, who looked over to her but kept running ahead.

Brittany slowed down a little and Quinn tossed the ball to her before she was tackled to the ground. The taller blonde easily caught the ball and made a mad dash to the goal line. The other players had no chance at catching up with her and once Brittany crossed over the goal line, she did a frontward flip and jumped up and down.

Everyone was screaming and cheering. Rachel and Kurt started jumping up and down in a tight embrace, while Blaine just smiled and shook his head fondly at them. Leroy and Hiram started pumping their fists in the air while Judy was proudly declaring that number 21 was her daughter to anyone that would listen.

Quinn got up from the ground and ran over to Brittany, high fiving her once she reached her. Coach Beiste had Gatorade dumped all over her and all the other football players just looked ecstatic. They were acting like they won the championship, but, with the way the first half turned out, it really did feel like it.

Quinn looked up at the stands and found Rachel's eyes in the crowd. She grinned happily at the brunette and winked at her, making Rachel blush. ' _What the heck is going on here?_ ' She wondered to herself, but then she pushed that thought to the back of her mind and decided to celebrate instead.

(A/N Yay that's the end of chapter 3. I hope you all like my changes to the plot. I tried to make the Shelby interaction as believable as could be without out right bashing the character. Never really was a fan of Shelby since the beginning which sucks because I love Idina Menzel. Well you can't like them all, which brings me to Finn. I know that in a lot of Faberry stories Finn is the bad guy and a total asshole, but I wanted to write him in a better light (Wish me luck). I never really had a problem with Finn but I never really liked him and Rachel together. They just never seemed to click with me. For those of you concerned about Santana, don't worry she will come around eventually she's just upset that Quinn joined the football team instead of the Cheerios. She thinks of it as a slap to the face so she's pissed and she's lashing out.

Hopefully everyone likes my Faberry scenes. The song that I used was " _That's The Way It Is_ " By: Celine Dion (My personal favorite). Please let me know what you think or keep reading. Until next time.)


	4. The Ties That Strengthen and Break

(A/N Oh my god I'm alive! So sorry I took so long to update. Life gets in the way, I suffered some writers block, and I've been reading other fanfictions and neglecting my own. Shame on me. I have finally overcome my struggles and I bring you chapter 4!)

 **Chapter 4: The Ties That Strengthen and Break**

"Do you know why I asked you to come to my office this morning?" Mr. Schue asked Santana as he sat across from her.

The Latina crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair. "No clue." ' _Could he hurry it up? I have better things to do than look at his dopey face. Seriously, he could give the jolly green giant a run for his money over who has the more stupid look._ '

It really hadn't been a good weekend for her. She left the football game depressed and defeated. Honestly she didn't expect her plan to backfire so spectacularly. All she was doing was making Q pay for going behind her back and joining another team. A fumble here and there was all she wanted. She had no idea that Sylvester actually payed the ref to kick Q out of the game. The Cheerios took things a little too far with the lasers, but she didn't want to pick a fight with her crazy coach so she let them continue on.

Thanks to her not speaking her mind for once, Brittany quit the team and joined the football team. She knew that she was upsetting her secret girlfriend but she couldn't stop while she was in the middle of her plan. The whole time, the bubbly blonde was begging her to stop and she paid her no mind. Then that fucking ref tried to kick her out of the game and Santana knew that she crossed a line, but she refused to admit that she was wrong. She just wasn't built that way.

The whole weekend Santana tried to call Brittany but the blonde refused to answer her calls. Once her mother figured out what happened at the game, she was grounded for the next two weeks. On top of that, as soon as she corned Brittany in the hallway, she was dismayed to find her in normal clothes instead of her standard Cheerios uniform. Brittany, under no uncertain terms, refused to go back and turned in her Cheerios outfit, which was burned on Coach Sylvester's desk, triggering the sprinklers again.

Now she was in Mr. Schue's office during her free period, wondering what the hell he wanted. She wanted to get her sweet lady kisses on. Sure Brittany hadn't forgiven her yet, but the blonde never said no to a make out session no matter how mad she was at her. Angry kisses never hurt anyone.

"I wanted to talk about what happened at the football game last Friday." Mr. Schue explained, making her roll her eyes. "I've noticed that your loyalties seem to be divided lately and we can't have that this year. We're supposed to be a family."

She groaned, more of this stupid cheesy shit. Why is she surrounded by pansies? "Families fight. It happens."

He sighed and ran his hand over his face in frustration. "That may be true but it seems to me like you would rather do Sue's bidding and try to bring us down." She scoffed but he continued on. "Two weeks ago you tried to burn down one of the purple pianos and now you tried to ruin Quinn's first game."

"In my defence, Q's a traitor." She snarled at the teacher. Who the hell did he think he was trying to lecture her?

Mr. Schue jumped up from his desk and slammed his hands down on the surface. He was glaring down at her furiously. "Santana, that is enough. What you did was completely uncalled for and you almost had Quinn and Brittany ejected from the game. They're supposed to be your friends!"

She angrily stood up and looked hard at him. "Who do you…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off. "You're off the Glee Club until you figure out where you're true loyalties lie. I have no time for this this year. Grow up."

Santana was pissed. She stared right into his eyes, making her see how much she hated him at this moment, and then she walked out of the office. She made sure to slam the door shut on her way out.

* * *

"So you auditioned for Tony?" Blaine exclaimed to Quinn from across the lunch table. It was just Quinn, Brittany, Blaine, Kurt and Rachel sitting in the cafeteria. Mercedes was hanging around her boyfriend; all the other males were practicing for West Side Story; Tina was somewhere trying to figure out how to cheer Mike up; and Santana's been avoiding them all morning.

"To be fair I didn't know I was auditioning until they told me." She shot a glare over at Rachel, who smiled sheepishly.

"No offense, Quinn, but I don't think you're going to get the role. You are up against Blaine here, the bona fide Tony." Kurt bragged, gently touching his boyfriend's forearm and squeezing it. Blaine blushed at the praise and looked down.

Rachel huffed in response and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You seem to be jumping to conclusions. While Blaine looks like the perfect leading man, Quinn's heart and soul is Tony, which will help her play the part better than Blaine."

The boy diva glared at his best friend. "I highly doubt that Quinn's heart and soul is Tony, and even if it was, it's too bad they're not going to go for a girl. Blaine is perfect for the role, why would they pick Quinn?"

The brunette stood up in her seat and slammed her hands on the table. Quinn sighed to herself and looked helplessly at Blaine who looked just as useless. Kurt then stood up and glared daggers at Rachel. Brittany seemed to be oblivious to the tension and was currently eating a cup of pudding though she did say something along the lines of. "That's why I'm running for Student Council President. We need female empowerment."

"Quinn is way better for Tony than Blaine. She can capture Tony's light-hearted spirit and dark past beautifully!" Rachel argued a little too loud for the blonde's liking. People were starting to stare.

"Oh yeah, well, Blaine is a romantic and can sweep you off your feet!" Kurt shot back, getting in Rachel's face. The bow tied boy looked like he would rather be anywhere else but here as he sunk lower into his seat.

"Quinn has a tortured soul!"

"Well Blaine has a romantic one."

"Tortured!"

"Romantic!"

"Can you two shut the hell up?!" A voice at the end of the table shouted. The two divas stopped arguing and everyone turned to Santana, who looked annoyed. "Seriously I'm gone for one morning and you two are arguing over bowtie fetish and Barbie?!" She sat down and started to dig into her salad.

Quinn was a little surprised that Santana decided to grace them with her presence. Normally she waited at least a day before she came crawling back to her or Brittany. She never apologized though. She knew that it just wasn't in her friend's nature and she understood she was wired the same way.

Brittany threw her arms around her girlfriend and hugged her tightly. "San, I missed you this morning! We have to go over my campaign speech."

The Latina nodded her head and looked over at Quinn. They stared at each other for a minute then she grabbed something from her tray and handed it over to her. Her eyes lit up when she saw four pieces of bacon in her hand. Quickly she snatched the pieces sent from heaven and devoured them.

"Thanks S." Quinn said when she was done eating. This was the normal routine when one of them was in the wrong. When Santana was mean to Quinn, she would give her bacon as a peace offering, and then when she pissed off the Latina, she would give her a box filled with breadsticks from BreadstiX.

The Unholy Trinity went back to eating their food like nothing had happened, causing the other three people at the table to look at them in shock.

"That's it, no apology? You just give her bacon and all is well?" Rachel said, looking beyond confused. She was still standing for some reason.

Santana looked like she was about to go off on her so Quinn intervened. "Rach, it's all good. Don't worry about it."

Rachel stared into her eyes, looking for some kind of confirmation that things weren't okay. When she didn't find what she was looking for, the diva grabbed her lunch tray. "Well you may have forgiven her but I refuse to. Her behavior was deplorable and anything less than a heartfelt apology is not wanted."

"Good because this isn't even about you, Berry." Santana remarked, making Rachel glare at her.

Quinn rolled her eyes. ' _Can't Santana just shut up for one minute? Just one?_ '

"Are you seriously going to let this go?" Rachel asked.

"I'm over it." She shrugged her shoulders. Most people had a hard time understanding their dynamic so she wasn't surprised that the diva had no clue. They just didn't do feelings or at least they tried not to.

Rachel looked mad and a little disappointed. Quinn really wasn't a fan of that look being directed at her. "Fine. Let's go guys Mercedes is going to be auditioning soon." Blaine and Kurt walked off with the diva.

Once they were gone, Santana wasted no time in talking about the brunette. "What's the hobbit's problem? Frankenteen decide not to follow her around like some sad and pathetic puppy?"

Quinn was about to defend her friend but to her surprise, Brittany beat her to it. "San, be nice. Rach is Q's kind of friend so you can't go around insulting her." Then she looked thoughtful for a minute. "Also she is my demographic for voters so you can't be mean to her."

The Latina looked horrified for a minute but Brittany gave her a stern glare and she sighed in defeat. Quinn giggled and made a cracking motion with her hands. Santana glared at her but didn't dare try and comment because she didn't want to upset Britt again.

"How's the campaign going?" She asked, deciding to talk about a safe topic.

Quinn smiled to herself as Brittany went into what she was working on. ' _At least things seem to be back to normal between the three of us._ '

* * *

"Wait so you guys can't make up your minds about who should play Maria and Tony?" Mercedes questioned in Miss. Pillsbury's office.

Rachel was just as insulted. Seriously they were supposed to be directors and they had no idea that she was destined for the role.

It looked a little cramped in the room what with the four chairs facing the three directors. Mercedes was to her left while Quinn and Blaine were to her right.

Quinn looked like she would rather be anywhere else but here. She was leaning on her side and her head was propped up by one of her arms. Blaine just had a friendly smile on his face, but she could also see that he looked conflicted.

"You can give the role to Quinn. She is a senior and there's always next year for me to have the lead." Blaine said. Rachel wasn't really surprised that he would give the role to the blonde; he was too nice of a person not too. Kurt wouldn't be happy when news got out.

"Blaine, you can have it. You want it more than I do." Quinn tried to reason but then she winced as the brunette dug her elbow into her side. "I mean no I want the role." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

All three of the directors looked at the two in confusion. Rachel figured that they couldn't understand why they both auditioned for the role but neither seemed really excited about taking it. Rather they were trying to get their competition to take it instead. It was the exact opposite of Mercedes and her. She knew that it was going to be a blood bath and someone was going to come out the loser (Mercedes).

Artie decided to break the silence. "We want you both to come back on Thursday for the ultimate Maria and Tony off. Also we will be having a chemistry off where all of you will duet so that we can see which pairing has the best on-stage attraction."

'Well clearly I will be victorious since I plan on singing the all-time Maria classic _I Feel Pretty_." Rachel said, trying to intimidate her competitor.

"We thought that that would be too easy so we each picked a song for you to sing." Miss. Pillsbury explained as Artie handed out the sheet music.

Rachel smirked to herself as she looked at her song choice. _Out Here On My Own_ from Fame was something that she sung on occasion. It wasn't her first choice but it would do. She would make it flawless.

" _When You Were Young_ by The Killers, never heard of it." Blaine said as he looked over the sheet music.

Rachel glanced over to the young man and saw the dismayed look on Quinn's face. "How can you not know The Killers? Brandon Flowers is a lyrical genius!" She passionately proclaimed.

' _She looks adorable when she's passionate._ ' Her eyes widened a little but she tried not to draw any attention to herself. Rachel wasn't sure why these thoughts kept popping up, but as soon as they came, she banished them to the dark corners of her mind never to see the light of day.

"We gave you two this song so that it can challenge you to be leading material. Brandon Flowers is cool and smooth, you need to channel him in order to truly be deserving of Tony." Artie explained, just as avidly as Quinn. Apparently the blonde wasn't the only one that liked the band.

"As for the chemistry off, each of you will sing a song and we will judge you on how well the pairing is. Now each pairing will do three rounds of rock, paper, and scissors. The winner gets to pick the song for the two of them to sing." Coach Beiste said.

"I don't care. They can choose." Quinn said, looking bored again. Rachel sighed in exasperation at her attitude. She could put some effort into this, but then again she did get to pick their song. She had the perfect choice in mind.

Blaine decided to follow in his friend's lead and forked over his right to pick as well. The directors all smiled saying it was a very Tony thing to do. The brunette could practically feel the eye roll coming off of Quinn.

"Okay Rachel, what songs do you want to sing with Quinn and Blaine?" Miss. Pillsbury smiled kindly at her.

"Well that's easy. Blaine and I will be singing _Suddenly Seymour_ from Little Shop of Horrors and Quinn and I will be singing _As Long As You're Mine_ from Wicked." As much as she liked Blaine, she was determined to make Quinn be Tony and what better song than the romantic ballad from one of her favourite musicals. If she was being honest, she did enjoy Little Shop Of Horrors and she remembered Kurt saying that it was one of Blaine's favourite musicals.

Both seemed satisfied with her choices, Blaine was practically bouncing up and down in his seat in excitement.

Mercedes scoffed, making Rachel frown at her. "Of course you would go with Broadway. Typical."

"You do realize that this is a Broadway play right? You're going to be singing show tunes." Quinn questioned the other girl, talking slowly like she was stupid.

The girl glared at her, but Rachel smiled at the blonde in gratitude and reached over to squeeze her forearm in thanks. Quinn shrugged her shoulders, letting her know that it was no big deal. Rachel was still getting used to Quinn defending her. It was odd but at the same time comforting. Finn never openly defended her against any of his friends or even strangers so it was a nice change.

"Umm…so Mercedes, what songs have you decided on?" Artie asked, trying to break apart the tension in the room.

Mercedes turned away from Quinn and smiled cockily. "Blaine and I will be singing _Best Thing I Never Had_ by Beyoncé and blondie and I will be singing _Battlefield_ by Jordin Sparks."

"Pot meet kettle." Quinn muttered under her breath, making Blaine laugh. Mercedes heard her and went back to glaring furiously at the blonde.

"Isn't it a little unfair to pick those songs? They're in your wheelhouse and they're not even duets." Rachel said. She knew that Mercedes picked those songs to showcase her voice not really caring if they were too difficult for her partner. At least she picked duets that weren't super hard to sing. Sure there were some difficult notes but it wasn't a constant barrage of wailing on the mic.

"They let me pick, it's their problem. Afraid that I'll show you up?" She taunted.

Before a fight could break out, Miss. Pillsbury intervened. "Those are the songs that you'll be singing. Good luck and we'll see you all on Thursday."

They left the room and Rachel decided to be a good sport and offer her congratulations. "Mercedes, congratulations on the callback. In the spirit of comradery, I would like to hug you for good luck."

She went to hug the other girl but Mercedes pushed her finger against her forehead, pushing her away. "Hold up there, how about you hug me after I get the part?"

Rachel was pretty hurt by her offhanded insult. ' _I don't know what her problem is but I do not like it._ ' Yes she and Mercedes had always had this rivalry but it seemed like the other girl was taking it a little too personally.

"What's your problem?" Quinn said, sliding up next to Rachel protectively. "All she was trying to do was hug you."

"Since when have you been her guard dog?" Mercedes retorted rudely.

"I'm not her guard dog, I'm her friend and I'm looking out for her." Rachel smiled widely. Quinn referred to her as her friend, not kind of friend. Their friendship seemed to be taking a step in the right direction.

Mercedes laughed coldly. "Weren't you the one that couldn't stand her last year? You did give out all those orders to slushie her."

Quinn winced and looked down, ashamed. Rachel placed a hand gently on her back to try and reassure her, but the blonde stiffened under her touch. ' _Damn it, Mercedes that was low._ ' She thought to herself, irritated that all the progress she made with Quinn could be gone because of what someone said.

"Quinn and I have looked past our differences. I have _forgiven_ her for her actions and I do not appreciate someone so carelessly bringing it up to try and hurt our friendship." Rachel stated, her tone having a dangerous edge to it. Mercedes may be a fellow gleek but no one was going to ruin her friendship with Quinn. She had worked too damn hard and she enjoyed the blonde's company immensely.

"Mercedes, maybe you should cool off and leave before you say something that you will regret." Blaine said, making himself known in this conversation. He stood next to Quinn and clapped a hand on her shoulder, making the blonde weakly smile.

"Whatever, I'm over this." She stomped away from them.

Rachel didn't want Mercedes' words to have too much of an effect on Quinn so she stood in front of the blonde and got her attention. She stared up into her hazel eyes and smiled gently. "Quinn, don't let her words get to you. We're friends and we've moved on from the past."

Quinn sighed and bit her lip nervously. "I know, but sometimes it's hard for me to understand why you forgave me. I was horrible to you."

Rachel grabbed both of her hands and their fingers intertwined. She tried not to think about how well her hands fit in Quinn's because she was trying to make the blonde feel better. "Quinn, you're a pretty girl. The prettiest girl I've ever meet, but you are a lot more than that." She tried to reassure the girl by quoting one of the things she said to her during prom last year, but she wasn't done yet. "You're kind, you stick up for your friends, and when you do something, you give it your all. You are not a bully. You may have been in the past but you're not that person anymore. You are one of the kindest people I have met though you don't really show it to others. You're passionate, witty, intelligent…"

She was going to go on but Quinn interrupted her. "Okay, okay I get it. Are you trying to inflate my ego until it explodes?" She cheekily remarked though Rachel saw her watery eyes and she knew that she was touched by what she said. Quinn refused to show emotion, much to her annoyance, but Rachel knew that that was just Quinn and she had accepted that long ago.

"Yeah Quinn you're the coolest and you have the best death glare of anyone that I know." Blaine remarked, trying to get a laugh out of her. He smiled when she heartily chuckled.

"Not you too." Quinn groaned, making the two laugh.

The bell rang, signalling the end of their free period. Quinn let go of Rachel's hands and, instantly, the brunette felt the warmth leave her and a sinking feeling appeared in her stomach. She tried not to think too much over this feeling.

"Let's go or we'll be late for calc." Quinn said as they started walking to their lockers.

"Argh…I despise calc." Rachel groaned, making the other two snicker.

* * *

"So how did Brittany manage to pull off that big of a performance in a few days?" Rachel asked from the passenger seat in Quinn's car.

Of course Rachel was referring to Brittany's campaign of _Who Run The World (Girls)_. Even she was surprised that they pulled it off in two days and everything went by without a hitch. They weren't even talking to the Latina at the time so to come up with something that quick was impressive. Though, she will never tell Santana that. "Santana is pretty good when it comes to last minute choreography. Plus she scared the Cheerios into helping." They both laughed at that.

Currently they were on their way to her house since it was date night at the Berry home, which was odd for a Wednesday. They (and she really means Rachel) wanted to get in some last minute practicing before tomorrow. Rachel has been practicing her song and her duet songs nonstop. It was a wonder that she even had a voice left.

"I hope you're not mad that I'm not voting for Brittany, but Kurt's my best friend." Rachel said.

She shrugged her shoulders, not taking her eyes off of the road. "As long as you're not upset that I'm voting for Brittany."

"I just don't understand her policies. Does she really think that she can accomplish everything that she is promising? All you can eat pudding really?" Quinn shot her a warning look. Rachel put her hands in front of her chest in a peace offering. "Fine we'll agree to disagree. Let's not bring up politics. How are rehearsals going?"

Quinn breathed a sigh of relief at the change of topic because she wasn't in the mood to get into an argument. Politics, no matter how small, had a way of causing fights. It was one of the reasons her father was so unbearable.

"Blaine and I have been practicing when we have the time. It sounds alright to me."

"How's your song with Mercedes going?"

"Wouldn't know. We haven't practiced together yet." She could literally feel Rachel staring a hole into the side of her head.

"Are you kidding me? We have to perform tomorrow." The brunette sounded gob-smacked. Quinn really couldn't blame her because she was a little surprised that Mercedes was putting off rehearsals with her.

"I figured it was just because she was pissed at me but I asked Blaine before I left and he hasn't been singing with her either."

"Did you know she quit New Directions the other night?" Quinn widened her eyes in shock, not expecting something like that. She heard the rumours when she arrived at school that morning, but she waved them off. Mercedes loved to sing and perform; she didn't think that she would throw all that away for jealousy. "I was just as surprised when I found out. Apparently she had a meltdown during booty camp and just quit. Mr. Schue confirmed it for me when I asked him."

"Wow. I knew she was feeling a little overshadowed but I didn't think that she would quit." Quinn said, still stunned that Mercedes would actually quit. That seemed like something Rachel or Kurt would do.

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "Ever since she started dating Shane, she's been acting out of character. Do you think he's pressuring her?"

Quinn couldn't help but laugh. "I find it hard to believe that anyone could tell Mercedes what to do." Quinn pulled her car into her driveway and shut the engine off. She looked over to the brunette who was grinning and nodding her head in agreement. "I just think that Mercedes has had it and she wants to shine in her own way. Can you really blame her?"

"I guess you're right. If someone was trying to dim my stardom, I'd fight tooth and nail to brighten it."

They got out of the car and Quinn locked the doors. She was a little surprised to see a Saturn in the driveway but she figured that it was one of her mom's coworkers. They entered the home and Quinn made her way into the living room. The television was on and, of course, her mother was watching one of her game shows, if the shouting was anything to go by.

"You idiot, you should have bought a vowel. Greedy!" Judy yelled at the screen, holding a glass of wine.

"Catching up on Wheel of Fortune?" Quinn asked, already knowing the answer.

Judy paused the DVR and smiled over her shoulder. "Quinnie, you know Wednesday nights are my night to catch up on all my shows."

She heard a chuckle behind her and Quinn felt heat rush to her cheeks. Hopefully Rachel didn't hear her mom…

That all went out the window as she heard Rachel mutter, "Quinnie," under her breathe. Dammit, she heard her.

Her mom seemed to have noticed that there was company because she stood up and made her way over to her. "Rachel, it's so good to see you again." She gently hugged her and pulled away. "How are your fathers?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. ' _Seriously she works with the guy, ask him when you see him._ ' If it was one thing that Judy Fabray was, she was a marvellous hostess. She always seemed to charm the pants off of anyone that steps into the house. It was a gift really. Annoying at times, but a gift nonetheless.

"They're good. Actually they're having date night right now at the house which is why I'm here. Quinn and I are working on our duet." Rachel explained with a brilliant smile.

"Oh how wonderful." Judy clapped her hands together in excitement. "I won't hold you two up anymore have fun with Jenna."

"Who's Jenna?" Quinn asked in confusion. Rachel seemed to be just as confused, judging by her expression.

As she was looking between the two, a look of worry crossed Judy's face. "You're friend from school. She said you're studying for an exam in chemistry." Judy then turned to Quinn and glared. "I hope you didn't make plans with this girl and forgot."

Rachel also turned to her and glared. Seeing two sets of eyes trying to burn a hole into her head, the blonde held her hands up in defence. "I don't even know who Jenna is. I promise."

Now Judy was starting to look concerned which worried her. Did her mom seriously let a stranger inside their house? This Jenna girl must be the owner of the Saturn in the driveway.

"Where is she now?" Quinn asked as the silence dragged on a little too long.

Her mom pointed towards the backyard. "She said that you two were going in the hot tub first." Quinn started to make her way to the back door. "Should I call the police?"

Quinn grabbed a broom that was lying against one of the walls in the kitchen. She didn't know who this person was. She could be crazy for all she knew. "Just have your phone in your hand."

"Quinn, maybe this isn't the best idea. She could be a serial killer for all we know." Rachel said nervously from behind her. "I'm too talented to have my head end up mounted on someone's wall."

The two Fabray women looked at the brunette in disbelief. At least the girl had the decency to blush.

"I'm a little concerned that you put way too much thought into this." Judy stated. Quinn was pretty sure that her mom was going to talk to Leroy in the morning at work.

Pushing open the back door, Quinn held her broom tightly in her hands and stepped out onto her back porch, but as soon as she faced the hot tub, the broom fell from her grasp and clanged on the deck.

Her mouth dropped open in astonishment and she felt her throat dry up. Her mind completely shut down as she starred at the naked woman standing up in her Jacuzzi. Her brown hair was shoulder length, and her blue eyes sparkled mischievously. She couldn't help but take in her glistening body. Her breasts were large and supple, her skin was milky white, and she looked to be in good shape if her abs were anything to go by.

The woman, Jenna, smiled seductively at her. "Quinn, I'm glad that you could join me." She walked to the edge of the Jacuzzi and playfully wiggled a finger at her to join her.

Her body refused to move, it was like she was frozen solid. All she could do was stare at Jenna looking like an idiot. Quinn really wanted to shut her eyes and not seem like a pervert but it was like her eyes were taped open.

"What are you doing, Quinn? You dropped the broom." Rachel exclaimed as she joined Quinn at her side. When she finally noticed the naked woman in the hot tub, a look of rage settled onto her face. "Who the hell are you?" She snarled.

Jenna smirked and put her hands on her hips, the motion making her breasts bounce a little. "Normally I don't do three ways but I can make an exception for you, Quinn." She tried to reach out to touch her but the brunette stepped in front of the blonde and pushed her back, far away from the naked woman.

"Who said anything about a three way?!" Rachel shouted as she starred daggers into the super confident woman.

It was at that moment that Judy decided to make her presence known. "Quinn, should I still call the…OH MY GOD, MY EYES!" The woman screamed as she saw the naked woman in her hot tub. She covered her eyes and turned around. "Quinn, why is there a naked girl in our hot tub?"

Rachel then turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah Quinn, why is there a naked girl in the hot tub?"

The brunette's glare seemed to have snapped her out of her daze. Her face felt really hot and she was sure that she was madly blushing. She thought about looking at Jenna again but thought better of it and starred into Rachel's brown eyes.

"I have no idea. I don't even know who she is!" Quinn helplessly explained the situation.

"Well it seemed like you were enjoying the show." She stiffly replied and Quinn wasn't sure but she sounded almost jealous. That couldn't be right though.

"I was caught off guard. This kind of thing normally doesn't happen to me."

"Well you could have fooled me."

"Hello still here." Jenna waved her hand in order to get their attention. Once she was sure that both girls were looking at her, Judy refused to budge from her spot, she replied. "Are we going to be doing this or not?"

Quinn glanced at Rachel pleadingly while the brunette just shook her head. She decided to bring out the big guns and gave her her best puppy dog pout.

Rachel stared at her for a minute before she sighed in defeat. "Fine I'll take care of it." Then she stared menacingly at Jenna. "I suggest that you leave the premises immediately or you will regret it."

* * *

"You were great." Quinn told Rachel as she walked off the stage.

Rachel and Mercedes just finished up their sing off, but she felt terrible. She knew that, deep down inside, the other girl was better than her. "She was better than me."

"Are you sure you heard what I did because you sounded way better." Quinn replied, clapping a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. "Besides we still have the duets, so quit being so depressing."

She weakly smiled at her, feeling a little bit better knowing that there were two other songs left to sing. Even though she wasn't confident now she was pretty sure that her duets were going to be better than Mercedes.

"Can I ask why you're wearing a bow tie?" Rachel asked, looking her friend over. Quinn's hair was pulled back and her bangs were swept back, with smoky eye makeup. She was wearing a dingy white shirt with a black vest, and tight black pants. To finish off the look, she was wearing a blue bowtie.

"It's called method acting, I'm trying to get into character." Quinn said with a light smirk on her face. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a fake moustache.

"Please don't tell me you're going to wear that?" She was worried that the directors wouldn't take Quinn seriously enough, and then there goes all of her hard work.

She placed the moustache on her face. "I have to finish the look or the character won't look right."

' _How is it even possible that she still looks good wearing a moustache?_ ' She thought to herself. Kurt was right, it really wasn't fair!

Rachel sighed because she knew that she wasn't going to make her budge. She found out this week that Quinn had a huge obsession with Brandon Flowers. It was kind of like her worship of all things Barbra but not as intense. Nothing was as intense as her devotion to Barbara. "Can you at least take it off halfway through?" She pleaded.

The blonde nodded her head. "You should go sit with Kurt, you're not going to want to miss this performance."

She wished her luck and made her way to the audience. Mercedes and Shane glared at her as she walked past and took a seat next to Kurt.

Her best friend looked worse for wear as he was holding a tissue and wringing it in his hands. Once she took her seat, he got back to the topic that they were discussing during lunch. "So what happened after the naked girl left?"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she remembered last night. How dare someone try to take advantage of Quinn in her own home? These fangirls are really starting to get on her nerves. "Quinn apologized over and over and Judy just walked into the other room to pour herself a drink I'm assuming. It's quite a shock to the system to see someone naked in your hot tub when you don't even know them."

"Has this been happening a lot? Should I be concerned for Blaine?" Kurt questioned nervously. Even though he knew that his boyfriend was gay, Kurt still had his jealous moments whenever some girl got a little too touchy feely with his man.

"I told Quinn that she needs to put a stop to this because it's starting to get a little out of hand. This girl was in her hot tub, what's next her room?" By doing something she meant that she begged Quinn to bring out the HBIC. It seemed like her only hope to get those girls away from the blonde and to stop interrupting her rehearsal time. Fangirls just have no respect for her future stardom.

Before Kurt could reply, Quinn and Blaine emerged from both sides of the stage. People were whispering to themselves about the outfits.

"Quinn's wearing a fake moustache too." Kurt groaned as he looked at the blonde and his boyfriend. Both were similarly dressed, right down to the bowtie. "I'm starting to think that this friendship isn't the best thing for him."

"Oh hush you." Rachel said, slapping him gently in the shoulder. She thought that they looked kind of cute.

"I'd still fuck her with that moustache." Puck loudly whispered to Finn who nodded his head.

Miss. Pillsbury looked between the two of them and held out the coin. "Okay which one wants heads and which one wants tails?"

"Actually Miss. Pillsbury, Quinn and I have decided to perform together to show comradery." Blaine explained to the surprised crowd. He looked a little odd with a moustache.

Quinn nodded her head in agreement. "We don't care who gets the part."

The red head still looked a little confused but she went along with what they wanted. She quickly left the stage to join her fellow directors.

Kurt put his head in his hands and complained loudly. "What the hell is he doing? She's the competition!"

Rachel just smiled and patted his back. "Stop wallowing in misery and watch your boyfriend perform."

The music started playing as Quinn and Blaine both took their positions on opposite sides of the stage. Kurt lifted his head, but she could tell that he was pretty exasperated at Blaine's 'nice guy' routine. Sometimes he could be a total diva.

Blaine stepped forward and started singing as Quinn stuck her hands in her pockets and looked out into the distance.

 _You sit there in your heartache_

 _Waiting on some beautiful boy to_

 _To save you from your old ways_

 _You play forgiveness_

 _Watch it now_

 _Here he comes_

 _He doesn't look a thing like Jesus_

 _But he talks like a gentleman_

 _Like you imagined_

 _When you were young_

Blaine stopped singing and walked to the back of the stage, while Quinn stepped forward and started singing the next two verses. Rachel was wondering why she was moving around so weirdly but she just assumed that she was mimicking the actual singer of this song.

 _Can we climb this mountain?_

 _I don't know_

 _Higher now than ever before_

 _I know we can make it if we take it slow_

 _Let's take it easy_

 _Easy now_

 _Watch it go_

 _We're burning down the highway skyline_

 _On the back of a hurricane_

 _That started turning_

 _When you were young_

 _When you were young_

Quinn and Blaine both ripped off the moustaches and looked away from each other as they harmonized the next verse.

 _And sometimes you close your eyes_

 _And see the place where you used to live_

 _When you were young_

Rachel looked over to Artie, who was mouthing along to the lyrics. ' _Wow he really is a fan._ '

"Man Q looks so cool!" Brittany shouted into Santana's ear. "I hope she teaches me those dance moves. They look like a lot of fun."

Rachel could practically feel the Latina rolling her eyes as they watched Quinn balance herself on one leg and do this weird thing with her hands. "Let's agree to disagree, Britt." Santana muttered to herself.

For the rest of the song, Quinn and Blaine switched back and forth. Rachel had to admit that Blaine sounded better than Quinn, but the blonde was a whole lot better at acting or just trying to stay cool. Blaine just looked like Blaine during a Warbler performance. Quinn, on the other hand, was practically channelling Brandon Flowers and you could clearly see that she did her homework on his movements.

Everyone clapped when they finished and the two shook hands before bringing it in for a hug. Miss. Pillsbury walked onto the stage as they walked off of it. "Okay 5 minute break and then we'll start with the duets. First up are Mercedes and Blaine."

Quinn and Blaine walked over to Rachel and Kurt and sat down in the empty chairs in front of them. Rachel handed the blonde a water bottle and she smiled in thanks.

"You two were really good." Rachel complimented as Quinn took a long swig of the water. She could see a light sheen of sweat on the blonde's forehead but other than that she looked normal and not tired at all.

"Thanks, we were trying to have fun with it." Blaine explained as he took a drink from his own water.

"Enough talking, you need to rest your voice." Kurt said, trying to get Blaine to take this more seriously. The dark haired boy sighed but did as his boyfriend asked.

They all sat in silence and waited for the break to be over. Mercedes made her way to the stage and Blaine followed after her. He held his hand out to shake but the soul singer just brushed him off.

"Well that was rude." They heard Brittany say.

Rachel had to agree with the bubbly blonde, that was extremely rude. Blaine was trying to be a good sport. ' _Well this certainly can't end well._ '

The music started playing and everyone saw a look of panic cross over Blaine's face. He had no idea where to start because he never practiced with Mercedes. That didn't seem to bother Mercedes because she started singing.

 _What goes around comes back around (hey my baby)_

 _What goes around comes back around (hey my baby)_

 _I say what goes around comes back around (hey my baby)_

 _What goes around comes back around..._

Blaine figured that that was his cue to start but, as soon as the words were about to leave his mouth, Mercedes cut him off.

"What's she doing?" Quinn whispered as she looked over her shoulder to Rachel. The brunette just shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing how to answer that question. It seemed to her that Mercedes was really trying to hog the spotlight, instead of sharing it with her duet partner. She really didn't understand why she was doing it because she had sung duets with other people before. She should know how to act.

Right?

 _There was a time_

 _I thought, that you did everything right_

 _No lies, no wrong_

 _Boy I must've been out of my mind_

 _So when I think of the time that I almost loved you_

 _You showed your ass and I, I saw the real you_

 _Thank God you blew it_

 _I thank God I dodged the bullet_

 _I'm so over you_

 _So baby good lookin' out_

Blaine was starting to look agitated as Mercedes continued to cut him off, eventually he decided to just try and sing with her. Too bad the soul singer decided to try and drown him out instead by singing louder.

 _I wanted you bad_

 _I'm so through with that_

 _'Cause honestly you turned out to be the (best thing I never had)_

 _You turned out to be the (best thing I never had)_

 _And I'm gonna' always be the (best thing you never had)_

 _Oh yeah, I bet it sucks to be you right now_

This continued on for the rest of the song. Mercedes either drowned out or cut Blaine off from singing, making the boy even more upset. He wasn't used to this sort of thing at Dalton.

Rachel glanced over at Kurt at one point and winced as she saw the death glare that he was throwing at his best friend, or should she say former? Every time Mercedes cut Blaine off, it seemed like Kurt became even more furious and he started to grip the armrests so hard his knuckles turned white.

Quinn wasn't fairing any better than Kurt from what Rachel saw. The blonde was completely rigged and she knew that if she could see her face then she would be face to face with the infamous HBIC.

Once the song was over, Blaine walked off of the stage and went behind the curtain, embarrassed, while Mercedes stayed where she was. "That was uncalled for, Mercedes! You diva-taged him!" Kurt yelled as he got up from his seat and went to find his boyfriend.

"He should have practiced more. It's not my fault." Mercedes replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

That seemed to have been Quinn's breaking point because she stood up in fury, blocking Rachel's view from the stage. She quickly swung her head to the left to be able to see the stage again.

"Maybe if you actually wanted to practice with us, but instead you decided to be a bitch and humiliate him!" The blonde sounded furious and Rachel was actually afraid of what she would do. An angry Quinn was not one to be messed with. She even didn't correct Quinn on her language, though she did hear some protest from Miss. Pillsbury.

"Afraid that the same thing is going to happen to you, blondie?" Mercedes taunted. Rachel really wasn't sure if she had a death wish or not, but one didn't mess with Quinn Fabray and get away with it. She should know.

She heard Quinn take a deep breath and then marched towards the stage. The blonde stared coldly at the soul singer and, much to Rachel's satisfaction, she actually looked a little afraid.

No other words were spoken as the music started to play and the two girls on the stage were scowling at one another. Mercedes was about to sing the first verse but Quinn quickly cut her off.

' _Good she should know how it feels._ ' Rachel thought as Mercedes glared at Quinn.

 _Don't try to explain your mind_

 _I know what's happening here_

 _One minute it's love and suddenly_

 _It's like a battlefield_

 _One word turns into a war_

 _Why is it the smallest things that tear us down_

 _My world's nothing when you're gone_

 _I'm out here without a shield_

 _Can't go back now_

That was when Mercedes cut her off to sing the next verse. Quinn just glared at her.

Their postures were stiff and their voices sounded angry. There was definitely passion but the wrong kind and it really didn't go well with West Side Story. They are supposed to be a couple in love, not a couple that wants to rip each other's throats out.

 _Both hands tied behind my back for nothing, oh, no_

 _These times when we climb so fast to fall again_

 _Why we gotta fall for it now_

Mercedes was still singing and refused to give the blonde any entry into the song. That was when Quinn started singing with her. The only problem was that Mercedes would try to sing louder than her, but Quinn refused to back down so she sang louder until they were both practically shouting the words at each other. It didn't really harmonize well.

 _I never meant to start a war_

 _You know I never wanna hurt you_

 _Don't even know what we're fighting for_

 _Why does love always feel like ..._

 _a battlefield (battlefield)_

 _a battlefield (battlefield)_

 _a battlefield (battlefield)_

 _Why does love always feel like_

Rachel knew that Quinn's voice wasn't used to all these high notes so occasionally her voice would crack. She was pretty worried that she was going to lose her voice before they were able to sing and that would put a wrench into her plans.

If her plan failed then she would personally go after Mercedes herself or send Santana after her. Either way worked.

 _Can't swallow our pride,_

 _Neither of us wanna raise that flag_

 _If we can't surrender_

 _then we both gonna lose what we had, oh no_

 _Both hands tied behind my back for nothing (nothing)_

 _Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again_

 _I don't wanna fall for it now_

That was how the rest of the song went. It was a tug of war between the two headstrong women and neither refused to back down.

Rachel was about to jump up there and stop this herself when she heard the strain in Quinn's voice. She didn't want her damaging her vocals over some stupid, and petty she might add, audition.

Fortunately the song ended and the blonde was breathing deeply, like she ran a mile. She was still glaring at Mercedes, who was also really winded.

They didn't speak but eventually Mercedes did walk off the stage and leave the auditorium along with Shane, but not without throwing one last glare at everyone in the room.

"And I thought I was a bitch." Santana remarked out loud.

"Language." Miss. Pillsbury reprimanded.

"What? It's true." The Latina held her hands up defensively.

"I felt like my parents were together again." Puck said to Finn a little too loudly.

"Puckerman, you are to come to my office tomorrow afternoon." Miss. Pillsbury said to him before she addressed the whole room. "Let's take another break to refresh ourselves and move around a little."

Everyone agreed. Quinn made her way over to Rachel and sat down next to her. She still seemed a little on edge so she let her cool off. Besides she didn't want the blonde talking in case, she really did damage her vocals.

Kurt and Blaine decided to come back from backstage and join them. Blaine looked a lot less upset than he did earlier.

"Good job letting her have it." Kurt said to Quinn, who nodded her head. Then he turned to face Rachel. "Her behavior was completely uncalled for and she practically handed the part over to you."

She had to agree with him. Even if she sounded better than her in the diva off, she showed that she can't work well with her co-stars. What director wants to work with that?

"So since Rachel pretty much has Maria, all that is left is to determine who plays Tony." Kurt rationed, grabbing Blaine's hand and squeezing it.

The break was quickly over and Miss. Pillsbury asked Blaine and Rachel to come up on the stage and sing. Blaine still looked a little stiff and embarrassed from earlier.

As the music was starting, Rachel leaned in and whispered into Blaine's ear. "No matter what happens, let's have fun with it."

He looked down and smiled at her in thanks as they both started to perform ' _Suddenly Seymour_ '.

It was true they did have a lot of fun with it. You could tell that Blaine was a big fan of the musical as he sang his heart out to the audience. Rachel's voice chimed in halfway through and their voices blended together beautifully.

When the performance ended on a huge high note, everyone stood up and clapped. Both brunettes bowed gracefully and Blaine walked off the stage with a spring in his step. Kurt greeted him with a very enthusiastic kiss, the most PDA they had ever shown. They pulled away, both smiling goofily.

"Rachel, do you need a break or are you ready to go on?" Artie asked.

Quinn was making her way to the stage as Rachel told them that she was okay to keep going.

They'd been practicing this nonstop; Quinn was probably ready to get this over with. She wasn't exactly thrilled when she suggested how they should perform.

They stood on opposite sides of the stage as the music started to play. They slowly started to make their way over to each other as Quinn started to loosen her bowtie and let it drop to the floor. Rachel then started to sing, the words practically memorized in her mind from years of singing it.

 _Kiss Me too fiercely_

 _Hold me too tight_

 _I need help believing_

 _You're with me tonight_

 _My wildest dreamings_

 _Could not forsee_

 _Lying beside you_

 _With you wanting me_

Quinn stared intently at Rachel as they met in the middle. The brunette decided to go a little off script as her hands went up to unbutton the top three buttons of Quinn's shirt. The blonde put her hands on her waist and brought her closer to her body as Rachel continued to sing.

 _And just for this moment_

 _As long as you're mine_

 _I've lost all resistance_

 _And crossed some border line_

 _And if it turns out_

 _It's over too fast_

 _I'll make every last moment last_

 _As long as you're mine_

Quinn ran her hands down Rachel's back, sending a shiver up her spine as she leaned in towards her neck, giving the audience the impression that she was kissing it. She pulled away and started singing her part clear and loud though it did sound a little bit more husky than normal.

 _Maybe I'm brainless_

 _Maybe I'm wise_

 _But you've got me seeing_

 _Through different eyes_

 _Somehow I've fallen_

 _Under your spell_

 _And somehow I'm feeling_

 _It's up that I fell_

They both hugged each other fiercely as they sang the next part. It took Rachel forever to convince the blonde to hold her, but she told her that they were supposed to be lovers and that's what lovers do. Quinn very reluctantly agreed.

 _Every moment_

 _As long as you're mine_

 _I'll wake up my body_

 _And make up for lost time_

They pulled away a little from each other as Quinn's hands moved slowly down Rachel's arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

 _Say there's no future_

 _For us as a pair_

Rachel brought her hands up to the blonde's face and gently cupped her cheeks before moving them down to the back of her neck. They both looked at each other intently as they harmonized together.

 _And though I may know_

 _I don't care_

 _Just for this moment_

 _As long as you're mine_

 _Come be how you want to_

 _And see how bright we shine_

 _Borrow the moonlight_

 _Until it is through_

 _And know I'll be here holding you_

 _As long as you're mine_

" _What is it?_ " Quinn loudly whispered her voice deeper than normal.

" _It's just for the first time, I feel ... wicked._ " Rachel replied shyly as the music faded out and they pulled away. Her heart was hammering in her chest but she figured that it was from performing and not from the way Quinn was looking at her.

Everyone started clapping and the two bowed before walking off the stage.

"Q, you should probably take a cold shower, your lemon seems to be a little pressed!" Santana shot out. The blonde glared at the Latina. "Seriously, it looked like you were trying to eye rape a troll doll. Completely disturbing. I'm going to have to spend my evening tonight washing my eyes out with acid because I can't unsee this." Rachel rolled her eyes and ignored the other girl.

"That was so hot. I totally need to get my sweet lady kisses on." Brittany chimed in, grabbing Santana and pulling her out of the room. The other girl did not seem to want to object so she let her drag her away.

Rachel looked around, waiting for some remark from Puck, but, strangely, he seemed to have disappeared along with Finn. She made her way over to Kurt and Blaine who stood up and offered their congratulations though Kurt's seemed to be a little less enthusiastic.

"Okay everyone, we'll let you know tomorrow after lunch. Good luck." Coach Beiste said as everyone left.

* * *

It was the next morning and all three directors were in Miss. Pillsbury's office, trying to decide who should get what role.

"Can we all agree that Rachel should play Maria?" Artie asked the two teachers. Honestly he thought that Mercedes could give her a run for her money but she blew it with the duets. He was a little sad that his friend was acting this way but he guessed that years of being overshadowed had taken its toll on her.

"Mercedes just isn't a team player and we can't have that." Coach Beiste said. Miss. Pillsbury seemed to agree and just like that Rachel Berry was cast as Maria.

"Okay all that leaves is Tony. What are your thoughts?" Artie really was torn about this decision so he wanted to get the other's opinions before he made up his mind.

"I think that Blaine might be the more traditional choice." Miss. Pillsbury said. "He really does have an amazing voice. He's very much leading man material."

Coach Beiste nodded her head in agreement before she made her point. "That may be the case but Fabray has the acting chops. If anyone can break the mould and make it believable, it's her."

They both looked at Artie to hear what his opinion is. He gulped nervously and took a breath. "To be honest, they both would be excellent Tony's. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Blaine has a great voice but he's not the best overall actor. Quinn is probably the best actress we've seen but her voice isn't the strongest."

Both teachers nodded their heads in agreement. "So what do we go on?" Coach Beiste asked.

A look of contemplation crossed the redhead's face as she spoke. "I think that, since this is a musical about romance and love, we really should go with who has the best chemistry with Rachel. A good love story can be ruined if the actors aren't really into it."

Artie had to agree as he thought about each duet. While Rachel and Blaine sounded amazing together, he could see that something was holding them back or something was missing. It did sound great but at the same time, he was left with a feeling of wanting more from them.

He thought about Rachel and Quinn's duet and how there seemed to be some sort of energy that crackled between them. He wasn't sure what it was but he had a gut feeling that this was the direction he should be going in. So far his gut feeling hadn't steered him wrong yet.

So with that last thought in his head, the group decided to cast Quinn as Tony and Blaine as Ice, a member of the Jets.

* * *

Quinn saw Artie post the cast sheet after lunch and, as soon as he left, Rachel ran up to the board. Even from a side angle, she could see the brunette beaming from ear to ear. Apparently she got the part.

A nervous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. The only reason that she auditioned for Tony was because she knew that there was no chance in hell that they would pick her over Blaine. It would also get Rachel to stop nagging her.

She wasn't going to lie a small part of her was a little excited about the prospect of playing a role that was normally played by a man. Her feminist aunt Linda would be so proud of her.

She took a deep breath and decided to get it over with already and walked over to Rachel, who was doing some weird happy dance in front of the board.

"Should I offer my congratulations?" She sarcastically questioned as Rachel slowly stopped dancing and just smiled brightly at her.

The blonde tried to ignore the weird flip flop of her stomach and instead tried to focus on her voice.

"Well see for yourself co-star."

Quinn looked at the sheet and her eyes widened as she read her name next to Tony. "Wha…I got the part?" She was pretty shocked.

Rachel grinned at her as she continued to stare at the paper in disbelief. "I knew you would get it. Congratulations."

She turned to look at her and smiled gently. "Thank you."

She noticed movement to their left and both looked to see Mercedes stare sadly at them as she made her way across the hall. Quinn smiled weakly at her friend, but the other girl didn't return it and just walked on by.

She wasn't happy with how she handled the situation yesterday. She let her temper take over and she said some things that she wasn't proud of. Mercedes opened up her home to her when she had nowhere else to go. She should have been a little more understanding.

Rachel seemed to have been thinking along the same lines. "Do you think she'll get over it and come back?"

Quinn sighed and ran a hand through her hair as they stared at the retreating back of their friend. "I hope so."

(A/N First off I want to say I special thank you to Wheelie91 who was nice enough to take time out of his day and be my new beta reader. Lord knows my grammar can be atrocious sometimes and I miss some spelling mistakes. Huge thank you! All the other chapters are beta tested as well so I will be updating that soon.

Second of all thank you all for reviewing, alerting, and adding this story to your favorite's. So far this is my most alerted and favorited story ever. More reviews would be appreciated but regardless I will try and update as soon as I can. Until next time!

I do not own anything! Yes Quinn's look and dance style is based off of Dianna Agron's appearance in The Killers video " _Just Another Girl_ ". Good video and amazing song. Big fan of the band, if you hadn't noticed in my writing. The songs used were " _When You Were Young_ " by: The Killers, " _Best Thing I Never Had_ " by: Beyoncé; " _Battlefield_ " by: Jordin Sparks; " _As Long As You're Mine_ " by: Wicked. If you want to imagine the _Suddenly Seymour_ duet just watch season 6 of Glee.)


	5. It's Just Emotions

(A/N Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favs. They really mean a lot to me and I'm glad that people are reading the story. One reviewer questioned why I changed Quinn's wardrobe and I'm here to clear some things up. Everyone is still wearing the same clothes in the episode except when I describe a new outfit. So Quinn is still wearing her dresses it's just that I don't really want to describe her clothing in every chapter and scene change. It gets a little tiresome for me and probably for most readers. That goes for everyone else. Hope that clears things up. Now enjoy chapter 5!)

 **Chapter 5: It's Just Emotions**

Quinn sighed as she walked out of the school and towards the parking lot. This Monday was a little odd for her.

First she had to deal with people either giving her weird looks or congratulating her on getting the part of Tony in the upcoming school musical, and then she found out later in the day that the play didn't have enough funding to run, causing Rachel to have a mini meltdown.

Second was the fact that Mercedes decided to go join Shelby's new show choir, leaving her friends behind in New Directions. That seemed to have struck a blow with everyone. When she was by her locker during her free period, she was pretty sure that she overheard Mercedes trying to sway Santana into joining the group too. The blonde knew the Latina better than anyone so she knew that she wouldn't leave without Brittany, but her friend had a short fuse and she wouldn't play second fiddle to anyone. She of all people would know that having been on the same cheerleading squad.

Third was the fact that she actually agreed with Puck and convinced Shelby to let them babysit Beth later tonight. She was extremely nervous because she hadn't seen her daughter since she gave her up for adoption. She thought about asking Rachel to join her but she didn't want to inconvenience her. She seemed to be beyond stressed at this point. Quinn also knew that deep down in her heart that she had to do this on her own. If she was grown up enough to give her up then she could meet her with the same amount of courage.

Finally, the amount of fangirl stalking was starting to take an emotional toll on her. At first she thought it was a little amusing if not borderline creepy, but now she was reaching her breaking point. Ever since she found Jenna, the naked girl, in her hot tub, the stalking had risen to ridiculous levels and she now found herself looking over her shoulder every time she got a weird feeling. 8 times out of 10, she always noticed someone staring at her. Rachel was right and she had to get rid of them someway but she honestly had no idea how.

Honestly she could handle the stalking, that was no problem for her. What was making this so hard was the way each encounter made her feel afterwards. She was used to boys following her around and asking her out when she was head cheerio, it never really bothered her. In fact she relished in it. All she would do is tease them a little and hang them out to dry. Some would be persistent while others just gave up and moved on to other things. That was fine by her.

These fangirls were a whole different thing all together. They just keep coming and coming, leaving her in a state of emotional confusion. Could she really be blamed? All her life, she was raised to believe that being in a relationship with a girl was wrong and for the longest time she thought that she was straight to a tee. She never really had a problem with other girls dating each other, but she never really saw herself that way.

Now she was starting to think otherwise and it freaked her out. These fangirls just knew how to make her body react and left her fumbling like a teenage boy. A burning would start in her stomach and travel throughout her whole being until she was consumed with a need for relief and a throbbing sensation in her lower region.

That was the main reason these girls had got to go. She didn't do emotions. It always ended up messy and with someone (namely her) ending up hurt. Last year alone was relationship disaster after relationship disaster. All she wanted is the confusion and the strange emotions to go away.

She shook her head from her thoughts as she reached her car and unlocked the door. She looked over her shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that no one else was around her. Opening the car door, she threw her backpack onto the passenger seat and stepped inside, careful not to get her sundress caught in the car door as she shut it.

As she was starting the car, she felt slender arms wrap around her shoulders from behind and she tensed as she was pulled back into the seat.

Suddenly a hot breath brushed against her ear as a light and sultry voice whispered. "You know I've always wanted to fuck in the backseat of a car. How about you?"

A strange feeling shot down her spine and if it was even possible she seized up a little more. ' _Not another one. I don't think I can take anymore._ '

Quinn knew that she had to nip this in the bud before it started to get too out of hand. She just hoped that whoever was in the backseat of her car was fully clothed. She reached up and pried the arms from around her shoulders and turned around to face the woman.

Her eyes widened as she finally looked at the person that broke into her car. "Sugar?" She questioned not really believing who she was seeing.

But her vison wasn't playing tricks on her and Sugar Motta, luckily fully clothed, was really sitting in the backseat of her car and trying to seduce her.

The brunette smirked at her and leaned towards her teasingly.

Quinn tried to move back but her elbow hit her horn, releasing a loud beep, making her jump in her seat. Sugar tried to get closer to her but she tried to stall. "I didn't think that you swung that way."

"I don't but I'm really into fads." Sugar replied a little too honestly. She reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her yellow cardigan and tried to pull, but Quinn slapped her hand away.

"I'm sorry Sugar but I don't feel the same way." She tried to reason with the other girl who tried to grab her again.

"Pshh….everyone wants a little Sugar in their lives." The brunette really was relentless.

"Get out of my car!" As soon as she got home, she was telling her mother to install a security alarm in her car.

Sugar stopped reaching for her and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, but you will regret your decision and when you come back begging for pleasure." Quinn literally winced at that. "Then I will tell you that that ship has sailed and I'll probably have sex with you anyway." She gave the girl an incredulous look to which Sugar replied. "Sorry, Asperger's."

Once the brunette left her car, Quinn locked the doors and breathed a sigh of relief. This fangirl thing really was getting out of control if Sugar Motta was trying to seduce her. ' _She's very attractive, but no._ ' She groaned in irritation and tried to push those thoughts away.

She had to find a way to get rid of these fangirls and soon because she didn't think that her stress levels can handle it. She was really trying not to blow her top, but they were really trying her patience. Let's not forget the near heart attacks and paranoia she got every time one was trying to sneak up on her.

Quinn started up her car and shifted into drive. As she was pulling out of the school parking lot one thought crossed her mind. ' _I need to give them someone else to chase._ '

* * *

Puck knocked on the door of Shelby's apartment and waited for the older woman to answer her door. He looked to his left and saw Quinn fidgeting nervously. To be fair he probably would have been in the same boat that she was in if he hadn't already seen Beth.

He leaned over and whispered reassuringly into her ear. "Don't worry so much, you're going to give yourself a panic attack." That didn't really seem to work as she just glared at him and continued nervously playing with her hands.

He sighed as he heard footsteps approaching the door. The noise seemed to have made the blonde even more edgy. ' _You would think that after being tackled by a 200 pound guy, she would be a little surer of herself_.'

After all these years of knowing her, he thought that he knew how her brain worked, but Quinn really surprised him. Honestly, he thought that saving Rachel last year was a total fluke and soon the blonde would be back on the Cheerios, terrorizing everyone again.

In a move that he probably would have never predicted, she joined the freaking football team. He couldn't really complain; he loved staring at her ass in those tight pants. They looked terrible on guys but he could appreciate a woman wearing them. No wonder they created powderpuff football. All he needed was a rain storm before a game and he would be in heaven. Puck felt his mouth watering imaging Quinn and Brittany rolling around in the mud.

Puck knew that Quinn was trying to be better but still he was a little suspicious. Could you really blame him though? Quinn was a master of manipulation. He wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't come up with some elaborate scheme to take Beth away from Shelby.

For now he would give her the benefit of a doubt, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. She may be all buddy-buddy with Rachel, but he knew that his fellow Jew could be a little naïve especially when it came to Quinn Fabray.

The door opened and Shelby smiled tiredly at them. She really did look exhausted; the whole single mom thing really does take a toll on you.

"Puck, Quinn, come in." She stepped aside and let the two teens in.

Shelby was going over how to take care of Beth and she even wrote her number down on his hand. Puck made sure to listen closely because he knew that Quinn wasn't paying attention but rather staring at the baby sitting up on the floor.

Beth was smiling and playing with a stuff monkey until she got a little too excited and threw the toy across the room and out of her reach. The baby started to whine and cry interrupting Shelby from her lecture. Instantly she sat on the floor and tried to calm down the baby girl.

Quinn also sat down on the floor and stared sadly at the child. Puck knew what she was thinking because he felt it too. ' _It's not my place to comfort my daughter._ '

It was a hard and bitter pill to swallow, but this was the consequence of the choices that they made. They could be in Beth's life but they weren't her real parents. Shelby was. The quicker they got used to that, the easier it would be on them in the long run.

Shelby handed Beth over to Quinn and the baby instantly started crying. "Okay if she gets upset just sing itsy bitsy spider. She loves it." She tried to console the child but it seemed like Beth had other ideas and continued to throw a fit. The brunette stood up and winced as the baby started crying louder. "She'll stop as soon as I leave." She ran to the door and was about to shut it again. "Remember itsy bitsy spider." Then she shut the door and left.

Beth didn't seem very comfortable in Quinn's arms and he really wanted to have her in his arms again. "Here let me hold her." He walked over and grabbed his daughter. "She likes me." He saw the miserable look cross over Quinn's face and he instantly felt guilty. That wasn't the best wording.

Quinn got up and went over to sit on the couch while he tried to calm the baby down. It didn't seem to be working as Beth still continued to cry and struggle out of his hold.

"I thought she liked you." Quinn quipped with a light smirk. She made no move to help him. It was probably revenge for his offhanded comment. She really was conniving.

Beth then started to wail even louder, making Puck wince. He didn't know that babies could be so loud. Following Shelby's advice he started to sing itsy bitsy spider, but it only seemed to make the baby even more upset. Maybe he wasn't singing it right.

"We're terrible at this." Quinn shook her head dejectedly as Beth continued to cry. There was a deep sadness in her hazel eyes but it also seemed that she was at peace with something that he had no clue about.

Puck was really starting to panic. If they couldn't take care of their daughter for 10 minutes then Shelby would never trust them again. "The song isn't working and you're no help. Do something." He shot out over Beth's cries.

The blonde stood up and glared at him. She looked around the room and grinned when she saw what she was looking for. She made her way over to the piano and took a seat at the bench. Puck followed after her, not really sure what she was planning. He grabbed a chair with one hand while the other was securely holding the crying baby, and dragged it over to Quinn.

He took a seat so that he was facing the blonde's side. Once she knew that Puck was seated, she started to play a song.

As the music was playing, Beth slowly started to calm down and she looked curiously at the young woman playing. The blonde's posture was impeccable as she got ready to sing a very familiar tune.

 _There's a calm surrender to the rush of day_

 _When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away_

 _An enchanted moment, and it sees me through_

 _It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you_

' _Oh my god she finally stopped crying._ ' Puck sighed in relief and wanted to cry himself as Beth stared in wonder at Quinn. ' _I have no idea why she picked a song from the Lion King but who fucking cares. My ears finally have a break._ ' They were still fucking ringing.

 _And can you feel the love tonight?_

 _It is where we are_

 _It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer_

 _That we got this far_

 _And can you feel the love tonight?_

 _How it's laid to rest_

 _It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

 _Believe the very best_

Quinn's voice was soft and melodic as she continued to sing. Eventually she looked over to Beth, a bright smile crossing over her face as she saw the baby looking at her intently. Well as intently as a baby can look.

 _There's a time for everyone if they only learn_

 _That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn_

 _There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors_

 _When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours_

 _And can you feel the love tonight?_

 _It is where we are_

 _It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer_

 _That we got this far_

Puck stared at Quinn mesmerized. She never looked more beautiful to him than at this very moment and that was including the time when she gave birth to Beth (she was screaming at him the whole time so he really couldn't enjoy her looks.) This was a moment that he thought that he would never see, Quinn singing to their daughter as he held her small body close to his. This was kind of what he pictured his family to be like if his father stuck around. His dad would play a song on his guitar while his mother held him tightly in her arms. It all felt so very domestic and just right.

 _And can you feel the love tonight?_

 _How it's laid to rest_

 _It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

 _Believe the very best_

 _It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

 _Believe the very best_

He felt something stirring in his heart that he hadn't felt for Quinn in a really long time. This was the life that he wanted with her way back in sophomore year when she found out she was pregnant. Back then when he loved her.

All those feelings came back in full force as she finished the song and looked over at him. Wait no she was actually looking at Beth, not him, but he was holding Beth so it still counted.

Quinn stood up and walked over to them, scooping Beth gently into her arms. Mother and child stared at each other with the same hazel eyes. The moment was broken when Beth reached out and pulled on Quinn's hair. Beth started laughing excitedly while Quinn's eyes started to fill up with unshed tears. She smiled watery in return before she took the child into her room to put her down for a nap since it was getting to be her nap time. He wouldn't be surprised if the baby didn't exhaust herself from all the crying she did earlier.

Puck watched them go with a heavy feeling in his heart. He thought that he finally got over her. They dated other people, hell he even fell in love with Lauren and was very happy until she dumped him.

The door closed softly behind him as Quinn emerged into his line of sight. "Beth's asleep but we have to make sure that she doesn't sleep too long or she'll be up all night." She looked at him unsurely. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah just been thinking." He shook his head and stood up.

"Well that's never a good thing." She remarked, chuckling at her own joke. She walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch, Puck following right behind her.

He sat down so that he would be facing her. "So why did you pick that song?"

"My sister and I were huge fans of _the Lion King_ growing up." She was smiling at some fond memory of hers that he didn't know about. He thought that she looked stunning. Dammit this was not good. "My mom used to sing that song to me whenever I was upset. I figured that it might work with Beth."

He stared at her intently, wondering if she was feeling the way that he was. ' _Puckerman, you're starting to trend in dangerous waters._ '

"I know it's not my place to say this but you would have been a wonderful mother, Quinn." Puck stated truthfully.

Quinn smiled sadly as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "Thank you. You would have made a decent father."

They stared at each other and Puck felt the pull to get closer to her. He stared at the lips he hadn't touched in a very long time and felt the desire to reunite with them. Quinn was looking at him questioningly, but he had a feeling that she wanted this as much as he did or he could be seeing things. He had a hard time reading girls.

"Umm….Puck?" He decided not to answer her question but physically give her his response. Besides he was more of an action kind of guy anyway. He knew that he couldn't be the only one feeling the old sparks.

He started to enter into her personal space and was about a foot away from closing the gap between their bodies when all of a sudden a phone rang. Before he knew it Quinn was off the couch and in the other room answering the phone.

Puck groaned and fell on top of the couch in frustration. He was so damn close.

"Yes Rachel everything is going well." He heard Quinn say from the other room. "No she's asleep and I'm fine." Quinn was sounding exasperated and was that a touch of affection in her voice? Nah it couldn't be. She was talking to Rachel. "Well its Puck, what do you think?"

' _Hmmm….so they're talking about me? I wonder why?_ ' He thought to himself as he lifted himself off of the couch.

Puck knew that whatever moment happened between them was gone now and probably wasn't going to come back tonight. He could have just imagined the whole thing too. Ever since Lauren, he had been feeling off lately, so it was possible that he was misreading the signs. It has been a stressful few weeks.

That was why he had to know one way or another, even if it might end in heartbreak for him. He wasn't some pussy and did things half assed.

He heard Quinn laughing at something Rachel must have said and he felt a tug at his heart as he heard the twinkling laughter. ' _I need to do something or it will eat away inside me. I refuse to be a little bitch about it._ '

So with that last thought Puck mentally planned his next step to try and win back Quinn's affections.

* * *

"You know Santana isn't going to agree with this." Quinn stated matter-of-factly as her and Rachel walked into the choir room.

Quinn was still feeling the euphoria of meeting Beth last night. Sure she slept for most of the night, but when she was awake and playing with her toys, Quinn couldn't help but stare at her in amazement. ' _She's my perfect thing. Something that even I couldn't have screwed up._ ' She smiled fondly at the memory.

She also realized that she did do the right thing giving Beth up for adoption. Quinn loved Beth with every fibre of her being, but those first ten minutes of her wailing and crying for Shelby made her realize that she wouldn't have been able to give her the life that she deserved. Beth's happiness came before hers. Always. Shelby was a wonderful mother and Beth loved her. As soon as Shelby walked through the door, the little girl was trying to get her attention by calling to her and throwing her arms up in the air. Once the older brunette wrapped her arms around Beth, all doubts of Shelby being an unfit mother flew out of her mind. She just hoped that Shelby would still let her be a part of her daughter's life. That was all she could hope for.

Last night Quinn noticed that Puck was acting weird. She had to wonder what was on Puck's mind because he seemed to have been in another world. He was quiet for most of the time and she would often catch him staring at either her or Beth. It was starting to get a little unnerving but she was giving him the benefit of the doubt. She was under a lot of stress meeting Beth so maybe he was too, even though he already got to see her.

"Yes but after you told me about Mercedes trying to recruit her, I fear we have no other alternative." Rachel replied grimly. The brunette didn't seem too thrilled when Quinn told her of her suspicions, which was why she came up with this crazy idea.

They took a seat at the back and waited for everyone else to show up. One by one they arrived and sure enough they were once again waiting for Mr. Schue.

Rachel decided that that was the perfect time to tell everyone of her plan. She made her way to the front and almost everyone groaned when they realized that she was about to go into another tirade. Rachel glared at them but she proceeded to explain.

"Now I know everyone is sad that Mercedes is gone, which is why we need to come together now more than ever. I suggest that we have a little get together Thursday night at my house and we learn more about each other."

Santana scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The blonde sighed, knowing that there was no way in hell that the Latina would agree to this. "That sounds like the gayest thing I have ever heard. What are we going to do, braid each other's hair, confess who our crushes are, sing fucking kumbaya by the fireplace?"

A few people snickered as Rachel scowled at Santana. The brunette was about to go into another lecture on why everyone should go, but Quinn decided to interrupt her. "It doesn't sound that bad. Right Brittany?"

Brittany nodded her head in agreement. "It's going to be a lot of fun. Count us in Rachel!" she exclaimed.

Santana looked behind her shoulder and shot Quinn a dirty look, she smirked back in response, making her even angrier.

Everyone else seemed to agree with the bubbly blonde although they sounded more reluctant.

"It's not going to be like the last time we went to your house?" Tina asked.

"There is going to be no alcohol consumed since it is a school night. My fathers may have understood last time, but my Daddy will kill me if we drink his good scotch again." Rachel said as Puck and Santana groaned in misery.

"That sounds lame." Puck said.

"I have to be sober for this shit." Santana remarked, earning an elbow to her side from Brittany.

Before anything else could be said, Mr. Schue finally walked into the room. Rachel went back to her seat and the teacher conducted the lesson. Quinn tuned him out and decided to catch up on her reading. Mr. Schue never really minded so long as she was quiet, though she did catch Rachel's disapproving glance.

"So is anyone willing to perform today?" Mr. Schue asked everyone once he was finished talking.

"I have been working on something." Puck said as he stood up and grabbed his guitar.

"That's the initiative! We're excited to hear what you have for us." Mr. Schue took a seat in the far corner and let Puck take the stage so to speak.

Quinn lowered her book and put it away, not wanting to be rude, and gave him her full attention.

He looked really nervous and, if she wasn't mistaken, his hands were trembling a little. Puck cleared his throat a few times before he started to talk. "This is dedicated to someone who I thought the spark between us went out, but after recent events, I think that the magic might be coming back."

Something unpleasant tugged in her stomach as she processed what he said. ' _This better not be what I think it is._ ' She hoped he wasn't daft enough to think that something could happen between them again. Though, it would explain his weird mood last night.

Puck started to strum his guitar and started to sing.

 _Ten miles from town and I just broke down_

 _Spittin' out smoke on the side of the road_

 _I'm out here alone just tryin' to get home_

 _To tell you I was wrong but you already know_

 _Believe me I won't stop at nothin'_

 _To see you so I've started runnin'_

The first few notes sounded a little shaky, but then Puck took one look at her and it seemed like his confidence came back. She wasn't stupid and she held back a groan as she realized what this meant.

 _All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

 _As long as I'm laughing with you_

 _I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

 _After the life we've been through_

 _'Cause I know there's no life after you_

As he sang the chorus, he looked directly into her eyes. Everyone else seemed to have realized who Puck was talking about because they were looking back at her. Santana looked like Christmas came early, while everyone else seemed to be on edge. Rachel especially seemed to have tensed in the seat next to her though Quinn didn't get a chance to see the look on her face.

 _Last time we talked, the night that I walked_

 _Burns like an iron in the back of my mind_

 _I must've been high to say you and I_

 _Weren't meant to be and just wasting my time_

 _Oh, why did I ever doubt you?_

 _You know I would die here without you_

 _All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

 _As long as I'm laughing with you_

 _I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

 _After the life we've been through_

 _'Cause I know there's no life after you_

Quinn felt mortified. Her face felt hot and it was like she was in the hot desert, with no salvation in sight. She always got uncomfortable whenever someone dedicated a love song to her.

She had to wonder if his breakup with Lauren and babysitting Beth last night had warped his mind and given him confusing feelings. Before this year, the two of them had kept their distance. She had a hard time believing that he was secretly pining after her at all since that really wasn't Puck's style. He shamelessly flirted and teased. If Noah Puckerman liked you then you definitely knew and then you sleep with him.

Still he hadn't openly sung to her since he sang _Beth_ way back when. Puck was putting his heart on his sleeve and she was not looking forward to the aftermath. She, of all people, knew that everyone had their breaking points. Hopefully Puck wouldn't reach his.

 _You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one_

 _After this time I spent alone_

 _It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind_

 _Thinkin' 'bout the better times, must've been outta my mind_

 _So I'm runnin' back to tell you_

Puck stopped playing the guitar and swung it over his back before he ran up to Quinn. He knelt down on one knee, grabbed her hand, and belted out the last few verses. So now it was confirmed without a doubt that he was singing to her.

"This is probably the best day of my life." Santana cackled evilly. "Britt, we should have brought popcorn." Her friend was enjoying her misery a little bit too much.

"San, you know Lord Tubbington ate all my popcorn watching his murder mysteries." Brittany chided like it was normal for a cat to eat popcorn and watch TV.

 _All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

 _Without you God knows what I'd do_

 _All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

 _As long as I'm laughing with you_

 _I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

 _After the life we've been through_

 _'Cause I know there's no life after you_

Quinn looked into his eyes and saw the affection reflected in them. As she glazed into his eyes, she felt nothing. No little swoop of her stomach, no rapid heartbeat, absolutely nothing but dread for what she was going to have to do.

She'd never seen him be this open and vulnerable with her before. Maybe if he did this back when she still cared for him, instead of cheating on her left and right, then things might have turned out differently. Sadly she knew better. ' _Oh this is going to suck._ '

* * *

"I don't get it." Puck stated plainly.

Quinn groaned in frustration as she rejected Puck for the third time. "What don't you get? The part where I said I have no feelings for you or the part where I said that we are terrible together?"

After Puck finished his song, an awkward silence overtook the room. Not really knowing what else to do, Quinn got up and left the room. She went to the bleachers in the gym because she knew that no one else would be there this early in the morning. So she climbed to the highest risers and sat down to collect her thoughts.

That was where Puck found her. She should have known that he would follow her. She did leave him hanging.

The blonde tried to rip the band aid off so to speak and she turned him down. The only problem was that he refused to take no for an answer. She could feel a headache coming on.

"I just don't get how you didn't feel anything last night?" The look on her face must have clued him in because he elaborated. "That moment we shared on the couch after you sang to Beth. We were about to kiss."

"We were?" Well that was news to her. Though if she looked back on it that was about the time that Puck started acting weird.

Puck shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that I felt a spark between us and I know that you did too." He sounded desperate.

"You probably had gas." She deadpanned in an even tone. He tried to move closer to her but she took a few steps back. Best to keep some distance between them. "Are you sure that you're not on the rebound?"

He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Quinn, I know how I feel dammit!" He shouted at her.

Quinn had to stay calm. It would do them no good if they were yelling at each other. She clenched her hands into fists and took a deep breath.

Puck took that as his chance to plead his case. "Back then we were so good together and..."

She cut him off because she did not want to hear this again. They already missed first period. "When? When were we ever good together?" She asked rhetorically, not bothering to wait for an answer. She just steamrolled ahead. "When I cheated on my boyfriend with you and got pregnant? When you slept with my best friend behind my back while proclaiming your feelings for me? Or how about when we just ignored each other for the past year? Puck, we are terrible together."

"That may have been true back then, but it's different now." Puck sounded like he was grasping at straws here. Even he wasn't sounding very sure of himself.

The blonde decided that she had to nip this in the bud before things got out of hand. "Nothing is different, Puck. Maybe last night you imagined how things would be if we never gave up Beth or you're just lonely. All I know is that I don't have any romantic feelings for you. Deep down I know you feel the same."

His shoulders slumped and he sat down heavily next to her. "Last night felt so right."

"Maybe."

"Hearing you sing to Beth. It really hit me right here." He pointed to his heart and sighed heavily. "I thought that I was over you, but ever since Lauren and what happened last night, I haven't been feeling like myself."

Quinn glanced at him thoughtfully as he stared ahead miserably. She reached her arm out and gently patted his back, offering him her support. "I don't think it's me that you miss." She said quietly.

Puck looked over at her questionably. "I think what you really want is a family." He was looking at her like a light bulb went off in his head. "You don't need me for that and I don't want that with you."

It was silent for a minute as he took a slow shaky breath. "Well I guess I got my answer." He smiled sadly, the truth finally sinking in.

"I'm sorry."

He stood up and shook his head. "Don't be. You're right." He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I guess I always wanted the perfect family that I never got growing up. Sorry if I made things weird."

She stood up as well. "We may not have worked out, but you'll always be my baby daddy." She cringed as she said the phrase, but she knew it would make him feel better so she swallowed her pride.

He turned and grinned genuinely at her. "And you'll always be my baby mamma." Puck pulled her into a quick tight embrace.

They pulled away from each other and started making their way down the bleachers. "Man I think I need to get laid. I'm turning into a wuss. Talking about emotions and all that shit."

Quinn smirked as the most perfect plan sprang into her head. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

It was the next day when Blaine ran up to her in sheer happiness. She was just about finished putting her books away in her locker, then heading to the bathroom to fix her makeup.

"What did you do?" Blaine questioned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You know what, I don't want to know because they're finally gone."

Quinn shut her locker and turned to him with a smirk. "I simply made us yesterday's news."

Realization seemed to dawn on him as he clapped his hands once and snapped his fingers. "So that was why he was singing in the cafeteria."

Quinn nodded her head. She still couldn't believe that she convinced Puck to sing, " _You're Body is A Wonderland_ " in front of the whole school. She figured it was a last ditch effort to finally get rid of all those fangirls. Boy was she right. As soon as the performance ended, it was like she never even existed to those crazy girls. It was like a breath of fresh air. She almost felt bad for Puck, but then she remembered seeing him make out with Jenna, the naked girl, and then she stopped feeling so bad.

"What can I say? Women can't resist a man playing the guitar." Quinn remarked, earning a high five from Blaine.

They talked for a couple more minutes before they parted ways and she headed to the bathroom. She opened the door and spotted Santana and Mercedes talking to each other.

As soon as they saw her, they stopped talking. Mercedes glared at her while Santana looked at her nails, pretending that nothing was happening.

Quinn wasn't stupid, she knew that Mercedes was trying to talk Santana into joining Shelby's show choir. She couldn't blame her, the Latina had an amazing voice and it was being underutilized in New Directions.

"I'll talk to you later." Mercedes said to Santana, who didn't even acknowledge her. She was going to make her way past her, but she held up her hand. Mercedes stopped in her tracks.

If she was being honest with herself, (Sadly she had been taking a hard look at herself these past couple of months) she knew that she shouldn't have treated the diva the way that she did. Mercedes opened up her home to her when she had nowhere else to go and she was her friend through some of her darkest moments. She had to make amends.

Mercedes threw her hands on her hips and took an offensive stance. "What do you want?"

"I'm not here to argue." She put her hands in front of her to show that she meant no harm. "I want to apologize for last week. I should have handled the situation better."

Surprise crossed her features and she put her arms down. Even Santana looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry that I told you off and called you a bitch." Quinn said sincerely, "I may not have agreed with your actions, but we are friends. I should have thought about your feelings as well."

A long pause went over the room, and then Mercedes hung her head and sighed. "I should apologize as well. I was downright horrible." Mercedes said sadly. "I'm a much better duet partner than what you saw last week."

Caught off guard by Mercedes' change in attitude, Quinn could only nod her head as the diva explained herself. "It's just I'm so sick of always losing to Rachel and I really wanted to beat her in something. I realized afterwards that I took it way too far."

"Let's just leave that behind us." Quinn stepped toward the other girl and held her hand out. "Let's just wish each other good luck."

"Girl you know I don't shake hands." Mercedes held her fist out and Quinn mirrored her actions. "And may the best show choir win." Then they bumped fists and sprang their hands back before bringing it in for a hug.

After promising to apologize to Blaine and Rachel, Mercedes left, leaving Quinn alone with Santana.

"I didn't know that you had it in you, Q." The Latina remarked, leaning her back against the sink. "To think that you actually apologized to Wheezy, when just last week you wanted to rip her throat out with your nails." She shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "You have more self-control than me."

Quinn rolled her eyes and walked over to the sink to do her makeup. She set her purse on the counter, and then she pulled out her makeup bag. "Why don't we talk about the real matter at hand?" She glanced sideways and saw Santana stiffen. "When were you going to tell me that you're joining the other team?"

Santana smirked cockily. "Actually I planned on leaving first. Eventually you would have found out through Jewfro or some other loser. Berry probably; she does have a big mouth."

"So considerate." Quinn remarked, applying her mascara carefully.

"You know me, I'm like fucking Saint Nick. Just so full of consideration and good will."

Once she finished her eyes, the blonde then touched up on her lip gloss. She knew that with Santana, you had to get to the point or she will beat around the bush for hours. "You know that I don't care." She turned her head and looked at the Latina. "Everyone else will probably throw a fit, but I know you have your reasons. I respect that."

Santana looked at her in surprise but quickly covered it with a smirk. "How thoughtful." She said sarcastically.

Quinn closed her makeup bag and put it in her purse. "It's not like you listen to me anyway. Half the time, I'm just talking to hot air." The Latina punched her in the arm. "Ow! Bitch!"

"You better believe it." She said triumphantly, pointing to her chest. "Next time you insult me, I'm going all Lima Heights on your ass."

Quinn rolled her eyes and headed for the door. "If people only knew where you grew up then they'd realize how much of a poser you are."

She heard running footsteps and ran out the door before Santana caught up with her.

* * *

"Rachel, I hate to break this to you but this is the most depressing party ever." Kurt remarked from the couch. Blaine, who was sitting next to him, nodded his head.

"It's not Rachel's fault that we keep losing everyone." Tina said sadly. She was sitting in Mike's lap on the chair.

"Yeah if there's anyone to blame it's Finn's fault for insulting Britt." Quinn remarked from the floor as she turned another page in her book.

Finn was standing off to the side and glanced to the blonde, who refused to lift her head from her novel. "I told her that I was sorry. Besides at least we gained another member. Rory's an excellent singer." Rory, the newest member of New Directions, was sitting on the floor next to Artie and he practically glowed at the compliment.

Puck shook his head as his best bud tried to look on the bright side of things. He still couldn't believe that they were down five members. First Lauren and Sam left before the school year even started, then Mercedes and now Santana and Brittany. Once Santana and Brittany left New Directions this afternoon, it was like a dark cloud hung over them. Sure Rory made them feel a little better, but once they all gathered together this evening for the party, they realized the void that the other three left in their wake. Not even the dance music playing in the background could get them out of this funk. It might as well be funeral music playing.

If Puck was being honest, this had to be the shittest week that he has had in a long time. First he develops feelings for Quinn, then she rejects him multiple times, people keep leaving the Glee Club, and now he's being stalked by a bunch of fangirls.

Don't get him wrong, he loved a good lay, but after he slept with four different women that threw themselves at him, he began to realize that he was starting to feel lonely.

It didn't help that every time he looked at Quinn, he still felt a pang in his heart. Sure he might have convinced her that he was over her, but the feelings were still there. He knew that after she rejected him for the second time that there was no way that they were getting back together. He'd seen it in her eyes. Quinn only saw him as a friend and nothing more.

It sucked to be dumped by two of the loves of his life, but if there was one thing that Puck knew about himself was that he was a fighter. He'd get over it and eventually find someone new. Until then he'd sleep with as many women as his cock could handle to fill the void until the next special girl came along.

"There's no use arguing about what we should have done. It's already happened. The best thing for us to do is to move forward and try and find more members." Rachel said from in front of the fireplace.

Before anyone else could reply, a bell went off in the other room. "Ohhh…my feel better cookies are done. I'll be right back." Rachel ran off down the hallway towards the kitchen.

A couple seconds ticked by before the sound of a book shutting had everyone turning in Quinn's direction. The blonde set the book on the coffee table and got up. "I'll go see if she needs any help." Then she disappeared down the hallway.

A few more moments of awkward silence passed. Silence that was starting to get on Puck's nerves. "I'm going out back for a smoke." He didn't bother to wait for a reply as he made his way down the hall and towards the backdoor.

He passed the kitchen and just before he was out of ear shot he heard, "So I suppose this means that you're going to be leaving us too?" The door was shut so Puck couldn't see her face, but he imagined by the sound of her voice that Rachel looked sad and miserable.

"What gave you that idea?" Quinn asked.

' _I should really leave. This is a private conversation._ ' Puck thought to himself but he stayed rooted by the door.

The sound of the oven opening and closing could be heard before Rachel spoke up. "I figured you would want to be with your friends."

He heard a scoff, probably from Quinn. "I have friends in New Directions."

"So does that mean you're not leaving?" He could practically feel the hope coming off of Rachel in waves.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Berry." He knew by her tone that Quinn was smirking. Rachel squealed and a thump could be heard. He guessed that they were hugging but then again knowing them they might also be fighting and one fell to the floor.

Puck decided that that was his chance to leave but as he turned to walk away he heard his name. "You just don't want to leave Puck." Rachel said. Her voice sounded odd. It was like she was trying to be teasing but there was an edge to it. Bitterness maybe. He would know that tone anywhere; he heard it every time his mom talked about his dad.

His curiosity was getting the better of him. ' _What more could she say about me that I haven't already heard?_ ' He thought. Maybe he was a masochist or maybe he was still holding out hope for something more.

"Yeah right." Yup he was definitely a masochist. "I already turned him down. Multiple times, I might add."

A pot clanged loudly. "What?!" Rachel exclaimed before she coughed and tried to say in an even tone. "I mean really? Why?"

"I just don't see him that way." Why was he still standing here? "The whole time he was singing to me I didn't feel anything. I guess you could call uncomfortable a feeling." Seriously why was he putting himself through this again?

A cupboard door opened before it slammed shut again. "I don't understand. He sang his heart out to you. Puck hardly ever does that. If it was me, I would be swooning."

"I prefer something more private. I don't like being put on the spot." Well that was his first mistake. "Honestly I only see him as a friend. You're more than welcome to have him if you want him."

Rachel laughed and a sinking feeling formed in his stomach. "I'm good. He may be an excellent kisser, but that's where my admiration stops."

Puck couldn't believe it. Now he'd been rejected by three girls, sure Rachel wasn't aware that he was listening but still. ' _Am I off my game or something? I'm not used to this. Women can't resist me._ '

"Really? Because for a minute there I thought that you were jealous. It would explain why you've been avoiding me." Quinn said casually.

Rachel made a weird sound, almost as if she was choking. "Me? Jealous?" Her voice sounded pretty high. "I think you're seeing things. I've just been busy with the play and New Directions."

"Well that's good because if you aren't interested in Puck and you _were_ jealous….then that would mean that you were jealous _of_ Puck." Quinn made sure to stress the words 'were' and 'of'.

"Sorry Fabray but you're not my type." Rachel joked but to Puck it sounded a little flat.

Quinn laughed along with her but it sounded a little higher than her normal laugh. Dammit he wished that he could see what they were doing. This guessing game of emotions behind the door was exhausting. "That's good to hear, because it's easy to fall in love with me or so I've been told."

"That's funny because people have said the same thing about me or so I've been told." Rachel shot back confidently.

Puck had to shake his head because it sounded almost like they were _flirting_ with each other. That couldn't be right though. He might have had fantasies of the two making out on his bed while he watched, but he knew that that was never going to happen. That was why it was a fantasy.

That was when he remembered the soft and affectionate tone that Quinn had when she was talking on the phone with Rachel the other day. She never sounded like that. Then he remembered the warpath Rachel went on whenever a fangirl tried to get too close to Quinn. It was almost as if…..

His eyes widened in utter shock.

OH MY GOD!

Puck fell back from the shock but quickly caught himself before he made a noise. ' _I think they like each other. Like, like-like each other. Holy shit!_ '

It would explain why Quinn turned him down. She was batting for the other team or at least she was after someone from the other team.

He shook his head. ' _No. Quinn just doesn't love me anymore. I can't use her being gay as an excuse._ ' Though if he was being honest with himself, it did make him feel tons better about the whole rejection thing.

' _I'm having a real hard time wrapping my head around this. Rachel and Quinn together? It just sounds weird. Sexy as hell, but still weird._ ' Puck knew that he had to leave and clear his head. If his suspicions were correct then the two were just coming to terms with this new development. At least that's the vibe he got just listening to them talk. He didn't want to ruin anything by saying something that he shouldn't.

Completely forgetting about his trip to smoke, Puck turned back around towards the living room. He schooled his features and tried to act cool.

The others stopped whatever conversation they were having and looked at him. "Sorry guys but I have to bolt. There's a fine ass Latina babe calling my name. Tell Rachel and Quinn goodbye for me."

With that he left the house before anyone could try and get him to stay.

* * *

After driving around for a few hours, he got a call from Shelby, asking how the job interview went. After the revelations he discovered today, he completely forgot about it.

That was why he decided to drop by and say thanks, but unfortunately he ended up waking Beth up and starting a crying fit.

Shelby just wanted him to leave, but Puck knew that he couldn't leave his daughter upset like this. It just wouldn't be right, especially since it was his fault.

So he grabbed a guitar and sang to her. As he sung " _Waiting For A Girl Like You_ ", Beth quieted down and Shelby put her back to sleep. He always knew that his daughter was an inner rocker chick. ' _Take that Quinn and you're R &B shit._'

Puck looked at Shelby and she just looked exhausted. Motherhood must be hard, especially all by yourself.

The brunette made him a drink and set it in front of him before she took a seat opposite him. She looked at him curiously.

"Not that I don't mind you stopping by, but I can't help but believe that you have better things to do."

Instantly he became serious. "There's nothing more important than making time for my daughter." He paused and took a drink of his soda. "I just wanted to say thank you for getting me that job. No one ever believes in me. It's just nice to know that someone does."

"Anytime, Puck." She smiled gently at him. She looked over at the crib where the sleeping baby lied and a serene look crossed her features. "It's everything I wanted…to be a mom. But it's just so damn hard. Hard to do it alone." She turned to look back at him. "But the hardest part is the special moments that I see her do. I'm just so excited that I wish that I could look over and share that moment with someone who loves her just as much as I do."

Almost like someone was taking control of his body, he reached across the table and grabbed her hand in a gentle grip. When his hand touched hers, he felt a little jolt of electricity and his stomach swooped. "Listen if you ever need any help, I'm here for you. Always." He stated seriously.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "It's nice that I can count on you and Quinn to help me out."

Puck couldn't help it but when he heard the blonde's name he winced. Shelby seemed to have noticed it because she gave him a look. "Something going on between you two? Is it going to affect Beth?"

She sounded worried and Puck decided to tell her the truth because he didn't want her revoking his rights to see his daughter if she believed that he was being untruthful. If she did that to Quinn then the blonde would probably flay him alive.

He took a deep breathe before he told her his story. "I thought that there was something between us again, but she did not feel the same. Case closed." He went with short and sweet.

"Well it has to be more than that." Shelby responded thoughtfully. "There has to be a reason."

"Doesn't matter." Puck waved her off. ' _I wonder how she will take the news if Quinn actually does start dating her daughter. Talk about complicated._ '

Shelby was about to elaborate further when Beth suddenly started crying again. Instantly they both got up to see what the problem is.

Puck seemed to be at a loss because she seemed fine not even a minute ago. Shelby, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do and Puck watched in amazement as Shelby gently patted Beth on the back and the toddler let out a loud burp.

Satisfied the baby quieted down and Shelby put her back in the bed.

The electricity between them seemed to be on high as Puck looked into her beautiful eyes. When he looked at her, he didn't see Rachel's mom, or the show choir director of his competition. All he saw was a woman that was doing her best to take care of her daughter. _His_ daughter.

With that last thought in his head, he leaned down and captured her lips in his.

(A/N OH MY GOD I'm finally done! I'm sorry it took so long. I have just had one of the worst cases of writers block that I have ever had, mix that in with some laziness and homework; and you have the last couple of months. It's so annoying when you know what you want to write but you can't put the words down on paper.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews even after months of no updating. It means a lot. Honestly it really does. I roughly know what is going to happen in the next couple of chapters. It's going to be a while before Faberry gets together, but it will be worth it in the end. I'm trying to make it as realistic as I possibly can without it coming across as lame or underwhelming. First I have to get the ex-boyfriends out of the way, which is why this chapter focuses quite a bit on Puck instead of Rachel. Don't worry though because she will have a big part in the next chapter. You all know what I'm talking about. At least I finally got rid of the fangirls.

I'm going to try and get a few more chapters done before I go back to Love Potion #9. Hopefully I get a few more chapters done this month. Fingers crossed.

I don't own the songs but they are: " _Can you Feel The Love Tonight_ " By: Elton John and " _Life After You_ " By: Daughtry. Also I have revised the first three chapters. Just minor things like grammar and spelling, etc. Nothing that will alter the story in a huge way.


	6. We Have To What Now?

(A/N Okay so this is the chapter that almost everyone has been waiting for. Yes we are finally getting to the play. Enjoy!)

 **Chapter 6: We Have To What Now?**

Artie leaned forward in his seat as he watched Rachel and Quinn sing " _Tonight_ " in perfect harmony. They sounded great together.

If he was being honest, if someone pitched the idea of casting Tony as a female even a couple of weeks ago he would have laughed in their face. Heck he was having second thoughts as soon as he casted Quinn. Was this being too creative? Was he not doing justice to the source material? Would people hate it?

All those negative thoughts flew out the window as soon as Quinn walked on stage of that first rehearsal and belted out " _Somethings Coming_ ". Now he just couldn't imagine anyone else playing Tony, which was weird because he watched the film about a dozen times to prepare himself for the play. She might not be the best singer, but damn was she an amazing actress.

The chemistry between Rachel and Quinn was nothing short of electric. Every time they had scenes together Artie truly believed that they were star crossed lovers. If he didn't already know about the twos less than sunny past then he would have thought that they were totally getting it on.

Unfortunately something seemed to be missing. Something that could potentially make this production even better than it already was. Elevate to something spectacular.

If only he knew what it was?

As he saw them continue to sing, he looked to his left and saw Coach Beiste wiping away tears. He rolled his eyes because she always cried when they sing. He heard the scratching of a pencil and he instantly knew that Miss. Pillsbury was still taking notes about the performances. She probably wanted them to show more teeth. He sighed to himself because if they showed more teeth then Rachel would start looking insane.

The song was starting to come to an end and that was when Artie noticed the distance between the two. They were at least two feet apart, but they were staring each other down like they were a piece of meat.

Suddenly, as if he had an epiphany, he figured out what his production was missing.

The song ended and the directors started clapping. Quinn grabbed a water bottle off of the piano and took a drink, while Rachel looked at them expectantly.

"I wouldn't change anything." Coach Beiste said, wiping more tears from her eyes. Quinn rolled her eyes at her coach while Rachel tried to seem polite.

"My only critique is to show more teeth." Miss. Pillsbury smiled gently at them. Again Quinn rolled her eyes while Rachel smiled even brighter. Artie winced to himself, yup, she looked insane.

"That was really good guys." He took a deep breath as he got ready to tell them of his slight change. "I've noticed that something seems to be missing. It's undeniable that you two have chemistry when you sing, but when I look at the two of you together, I don't believe it. If I don't believe it then the audience won't."

They both looked at him in confusion. "Umm….Artie, I'm not sure what you're trying to say here." Rachel questioned.

"I think you two have to be closer together when you sing, maybe even kiss at the end." Artie stated matter-of-factly. "Actually we should throw in a few since you're supposed to be lovers."

It was silent for a moment but then quickly Coach Beiste and Miss. Pillsbury left making up some lame excuse, while Quinn and Rachel just looked at him like he was crazy.

Quinn held her hands out in front of her and backed up a few steps. "We have to what now?!" She exclaimed, her voice sounding surprisingly high.

Artie sighed because he was kind of expecting this reaction. "Kiss. How can you play two star crossed lovers if you have never kissed?"

"Well we can always fake it." Rachel tried to reason, as she looked at the blonde in concern. Quinn was starting to look like a caged animal getting ready to run as soon as someone opened the door.

"No, that wouldn't work."

"He just wants to see two girls making out. Is this how you get your thrills, Artie?" Quinn exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and staring him down. Man, she was scary when she was angry.

"Quinn!" Rachel yelled, scandalized.

"No, that's not the reason. I want it to look authentic." This was his vison and his name on the playbook. So whatever he says goes.

The blonde scoffed and began muttering to herself. "He wants it to look authentic. Who does he think he is, Spielberg?"

"Quinn, be reasonable. We're actresses and we can be professional about this." Rachel tried to sound calm but Artie noticed the slight tremble in her voice. She must be nervous about this as well. Or she was afraid that Quinn was going to go off on him again.

Before Quinn could freak out on Rachel, Artie decided to defuse the situation. "Look it's just a kiss. Both of you have done it before."

"Not with each other!" Quinn shot out.

"I'm not saying that you have to like it. All I'm saying is that you have to make it believable to the audience. You both can do that." Artie explained, really hoping that Quinn wouldn't just up and quit the production because of this. They had less than a week before show time. "You're making this into a bigger deal than it has to be."

Rachel walked up to Quinn and looked into her eyes. Suddenly Artie felt like he was intruding on something private and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"We can do this." Rachel reassured. She gently placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's not a big deal Quinn. Just a kiss."

The blonde was still looking into her eyes, but eventually she sagged her shoulders in defeat and nodded her head weakly.

Artie grinned and decided to end this rehearsal before he was down one Tony right before opening night. That cannot happen.

So he bid the two good luck, and he rolled away. ' _I really hope this pays off._ '

* * *

"I don't know, Rachel, Artie is sounding like a pervert." Kurt said.

They were sitting in their usual spot by the window in the Lima Bean. This was what they normally did after school on Tuesdays. They bought lattes and gossiped, or in this case vent.

Rachel sighed dramatically as she nervously ripped apart her bar napkin. "I'm not so sure. I mean in the real production Tony and Maria do kiss. That shouldn't change because Quinn and I are females."

"That's true, but do you also want her to freak out and quit the production?" Kurt questioned and then he smirked slyly. "Actually you should do that. Blaine is her understudy."

The brunette threw her napkin pieces at him, making him squeal loudly. "That's not funny. She hasn't talked to me since yesterday morning."

"Do you think she's avoiding you?"

"I know she is." Rachel stated matter-of-factly. She wasn't stupid. She was used to Quinn and her need to get away when things become too much. "But she's supposed to come over tonight to rehearse. What if she doesn't show? We need to practice Kurt."

He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip. "Well you can always go with us to Scandals." Rachel gave him a look. "I'm trying new things."

She snorted and took a sip. "More like staking your claim. What's that Warblers name again?"

"Doesn't matter, because Blaine is going to be looking at me the entire night." Kurt said confidently.

They both smirked at each other and clinked their coffee cups together. That was when Rachel caught a glimpse of blonde hair and frowned.

Kurt reached over and took her hand. "Don't worry she'll show up. I think she's more worried about the lecture and presentation she will get from you if she doesn't show."

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed, completely insulted. She worked really hard on those.

He laughed at her expense, while she pouted.

* * *

It was quiet in the Berry home as Rachel glanced at the clock again. ' _She's 10 minutes late._ ' She said to herself.

Currently she was sitting in the living room, her script and notes were all over the coffee table. Her father's left over an hour ago to go to some game night at a friend's house.

She was growing more and more nervous as the minutes went by. She tried texting Quinn earlier to confirm that they were still on tonight, but she received no reply back from the blonde. The longer that she hasn't heard from her, the more she freaked out thinking that she was going to quit and ruin the play.

Then things started to turn even darker as she thought about all the reasons why the blonde didn't want to kiss her. ' _Am I that repulsive to her that she would quit the play and wreck everyone's hard work. I know that I'm not the greatest looking person, certainly not as good looking as Quinn, but I didn't think that I looked that ugly to her. Maybe it's the sweaters. She did say one time that the mere sight of them made her want to vomit. No wait that was Santana who said that._ '

Before she could sink even lower in her misery the doorbell rang. Rachel stood up slowly and took a deep breathe. She really hoped that this was Quinn.

She walked up to the door, shaking her hands out to try and calm her nerves. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

Quinn was looking down and it seemed that she was about as nervous as the brunette felt. At the sound of the door opening, Quinn looked up and smiled a little though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Rachel felt her stomach flip and her heart beat quicken at the sight of her friend. ' _What was that?_ ' She wondered to herself, but she tried not to dwell on those feelings or things might get even more awkward than they already were.

"Quinn you're…" She glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. "25 minutes late. I thought that we agreed on 6:30?" She moved out of the way to let her in.

The blonde walked into the room and took off her varsity jacket. It must have been chilly out because she hardly ever wears it outside of school. "Sorry my phone died and I forgot what time you said." Quinn lamely explained. She closed her eyes and winced. Apparently she knew how badly of an excuse that was.

Thankful that she even showed up at all, Rachel decided to let the matter drop and lead her into the living room. "That's okay, at least you're here. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm good." Quinn said, taking a seat on the couch as Rachel sat next to her.

She saw Quinn slowly shift as far away from her as she could manage and she sighed. Clearly her friend was still freaking out and it was going to be a long process that may or may not end in either Quinn quitting the play or ruining their friendship. Considering her luck, it might be both.

Deciding to ease into things instead of getting straight to the matter at hand and potentially scaring Quinn off, they started rehearsing their lines.

That's how they avoided the awkwardness for the next 2 hours. They rehearsed. Rachel knew that they shouldn't prolong it, but she knew Quinn. Given how she'd reacted and behaved for the last two days, she saw that the blonde wasn't comfortable at all. It didn't show in her performance, she was an amazing actress after all, but when she looked into her bright hazel eyes she saw it.

Soon they would have to bring it up and shatter whatever little bubble they were in. As she sang the last notes to " _One Hand, One Heart_ " _,_ she had a feeling that their time was up.

Casually, she brought it up. "So this was one of the spots were we are supposed to kiss."

Like a light switch, the calm and cool blonde was replaced by the one that she saw earlier. Great.

"I don't see why we have too. There's plenty of passion without it." Quinn reasoned, crossing her arms over her chest and moving a little further away from her.

Rachel sighed internally as she got ready for the battle. "Because we are supposed to be star crossed lovers. Lovers kiss, Quinn."

"I know that, Rachel, but this is a play. A school play, might I add. No one is going to care." Quinn huffed.

She felt hurt and insulted by her remark. How dare she disregard how hard they worked on this. " _I_ care." She empathized angrily, her arms waving around her body. "Artie cares. Tina cares. Mike cares. Blaine cares. Santana might not admit it but she cares." Quinn fidgeted in her seat. " _We_ all care. It doesn't matter if it's a school play. We all put in our time and talents into this production. How can you say something like that?"

Quinn stood up and started pacing back and forth. She ran a hand roughly through her hair and turned to stare her down. "You just had to drag me into this. I was fine playing a smaller role, but no, you just had to get me to audition for Tony."

Feeling ganged up on, Rachel stood up so that they could be almost on the same level. She cursed her shorter stature. "I didn't make you do anything. You could have told them no."

She laughed at her reply but it sounded forced to her ears. "I tried to but you insisted. Rachel Berry always the…." Her eyes widened and she stopped what she was going to say.

Rachel was never one to back down from a challenge, especially from Quinn. "Always the what?" She questioned, getting in the blonde's face. Quinn looked away from her, refusing to meet her eyes. "Rachel Berry is always the what, Quinn?" She practically shouted.

When Quinn refused to finish her sentence, she threw her hands up in the air and backed away. "What are you so scared of?" When the blonde refused to answer her, she put her arms down and looked defeated. Her earlier thoughts were on point then. "Is the idea of kissing me that disgusting to you? Am I that hi….."

"Don't you finish that sentence." The blonde warned, finally looking up and staring straight into her eyes.

Rachel moved forward and was practically chest to chest with her. As she looked into her eyes, she saw a current of different emotions; fear, anger, determination, sadness and something else that she couldn't quite place. She saw a flicker of it for a second before it disappeared.

"Then what's the problem?" She desperately asked. Being friends with Quinn meant everything to her. She just couldn't imagine her life without the snarky blonde, and she hated to think that something like this could break them.

For a while Quinn was lost in her thoughts. Almost like a huge battle was warring inside of her as she processed what she was going to say.

Finally she took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. "I just don't want things to be weird between us." She said sadly.

Rachel smiled in relief and held back a laugh. Sometimes the blonde was just too much. ' _If I knew that that was all she was afraid of, I would have hunted her down earlier._ '

She moved closer and hugged her. Quinn stiffened under her touch before slowly relaxing and wrapping her arms around her. Rachel smiled at the familiar warmth.

Eventually they pulled away, but not too far. She held both of her arms in a tight, but reassuring grip. "You worry too much. It's not like you're going to kiss me and I'm instantly going to fall in love with you."

Quinn smiled and this time it did reach her eyes. "Apparently you haven't heard about my reputation." She joked.

"Quinn Fabray, the modern day Aphrodite. One kiss and you'll be under her spell." Rachel dramatically stated, trying to be serious, but they both ended up dissolving into giggles.

Once they calmed down, Rachel looked at her with as much reassurance as she could muster. "Seriously Quinn, it will only be weird if we make it weird."

"Then promise me that it won't."

"Only if you do too."

"I promise." They said simultaneously.

Now that the potential fight was over, the atmosphere seemed to have changed in an instant. It was like a thick fog was hanging over them and they both grew silent. Hazel eyes bored into chocolate as both girls could literally feel the tension and electricity between them.

Rachel tried to smile but it fell flat as she bounced on the balls of her feet. ' _When did it become so hot in here?_ '

"So." Rachel tried to say, but lost her train of thought. ' _Quinn really does have the most beautiful eyes._ '

"Sooo." Quinn drawled. Rachel saw a slight shake to her frame.

"Umm….how should we uh…do this?" Rachel asked then she felt like kicking herself. What was she 12? God how stupid did that sound?

Instead of answering, Quinn leaned her head down and started moving closer. Rachel realized what she was doing a little too late and in a panic she tilted her head to the side and surged forward.

A resounding crack was heard as their foreheads collided. Both took a step back and clutched their heads in pain.

"Dammit." Quinn hissed, her body hunched over.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn." Rachel said, holding her forehead in one hand and reaching her other hand out to the blonde.

She waved her off with one hand while trying to recover from their collision. "It's fine."

"But Quinn…"

"It's fine!"

Rachel fell silent as they both recuperated. Eventually they both were feeling a little better, despite the pounding headaches. The brunette grimaced as she pictured the goose egg she was sure to have in the morning. Thank the heavens for bangs.

They moved towards each other again, though Quinn seemed a little more wary of her. Again the blonde leaned down and she tilted her head to the side.

Apparently Rachel completely forgot how to kiss and what to do because she also tilted her head to the same side and moved forward.

Realizing that was not going to work well, Quinn moved her head to the other side and not thinking Rachel did the same thing. They did this weird dance a few more times before Quinn pulled back and looked at her in exasperation.

Rachel smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm more nervous than I thought."

"I can tell." Quinn smiled back, mirth in her expression. "Close your eyes and don't move."

Slowly she closed her eyes and stood still. She felt her heart beating fast and her palms were starting to get sweaty. ' _I'm not quite sure why I'm feeling this way. It's just Quinn. Gorgeous, talented, smart, and charming Quinn. She's my friend and I shouldn't be feeling so nervous. To be fair I have never kissed a girl before and to have my first be with Quinn Fabray of all people. Stop thinking like that. What's taking so long?_ ' She thought to herself.

Maybe Quinn was trying to psyche herself up or maybe she was just afraid that Rachel was going to smash into her again. She's sure that Quinn didn't want another broken nose.

Then she felt a hand gently touch the back of her neck as her head was guided forward. All thoughts seemed to be brought to a close when soft and warm lips met hers.

Finn told her last year that kissing Quinn was like fireworks. It seemed that he didn't do her enough justice because it was much more than just fireworks, it was like stars exploding in the night sky, birds singing a beautiful melody, a standing ovation to a sold out crowd. Every single amazing feeling that she has ever felt and more was coursing through her body.

The weirdest thing was that this didn't feel odd at all. She thought that kissing another girl, kissing Quinn would be different and that she wouldn't enjoy it as much. As the blonde continued to press her lips to hers and bring her body closer, she couldn't help but feel that this was just right. Being here with her right now felt like home and time seemed to have stopped.

Rachel placed her hands on her hips and tried to bring the blonde even closer to her, while Quinn placed a hand on her cheek and the other one moved down to the small of her back.

Eventually they had to come up for fresh air and the two pulled away from each other, but remained in each other's arms. Quinn just looked at her with an unreadable expression on her face, her lips a little swollen.

She on the other hand was in a daze, her mind seemed to have shut down and she was reduced to the role of an invalid. Now she knew why the guys always fought over her. She was a damn good kisser.

The clock chimed bringing Quinn out of whatever trance she was in. Almost like she was burned by a hot iron, she jumped away from her.

Rachel just remained where she was; not really comprehending the blonde's oncoming meltdown.

Quinn looked at the clock and shook her head rapidly. "Well it's getting late and mom wants me home for dinner." If she was in her right state of mind, Rachel would know that most people don't eat dinner at 9 o'clock at night. Also the blonde's voice seemed to have reached a higher octave. Quinn practically ran into the front door, grabbing her jacket on the way out. "I'll see you later bye." Then she slammed the door.

Many thoughts were going through her head as she stood there but one word came out loud and clear.

"Wow."

* * *

Quinn sighed and ran her head through her hair as she looked at the cross on the wall. After she kissed Rachel, she just had to get as far away from her as she can because she just didn't trust what she was going to do next. Her body was torn between lashing out or kissing her again.

Not sure where she could go, she went to the one place that had always helped her in her time of need. The church.

The irony wasn't lost on her, but her faith had always come through for her. When her grandma died, she came here; when she became pregnant, she came here; when her father kicked her out of the house, she came here, etc.

She bowed her head and grabbed the cross necklace that she kept hidden under her clothes. This was a fine mess that she found herself in.

Honestly she was telling the truth when she told Rachel that she was afraid of wrecking their friendship. All she did was purposefully not tell her the rest.

Lately she has been feeling out of sorts and her mind was a mess. Her less than wholesome thoughts towards the same sex lately have been concerning her.

At first she just thought that it was because of the fangirls coming on to her relentlessly. You can only have so many girls literally throw themselves at you before your thoughts turn to a more R-rated nature. Once they went away, she realized that she had been staring a little too long at girls with short skirts or with a little cleavage showing. If she was being really honest this has been going on long before the fangirls appeared. She wasn't at that stage yet. Every time she realized what she was doing, she reprimanded herself, but it would take a while for her body to calm down again.

As soon as Artie suggested that her and Rachel kiss, she would have to confront all the emotions that she has been pushing down. Out of all the girls that she had looked at, the one that she stared at the most was Rachel. The only girl that made her heart skip a beat when they caught each other's eye. That was the reason why she freaked out. She just didn't want to face what she was feeling.

Her whole life she knew that she was straight, but with one kiss from the diva and everything that she had ever known was shattered in a million pieces. Now she had no clue what she was and she was not used to that.

It still felt like she was in some kind of dream, but every time she pinched herself it hurt.

She kissed Rachel Berry.

Rachel Berry kissed her back.

That kiss was _everything_. It was that feeling of completeness that was scaring her the most.

' _I just don't know what I should do._ ' She thought desperately. ' _It was just a kiss. It wasn't supposed to mean anything. I'm not supposed to feel like this._ '

Sure when she kissed Finn it was kind of like sparklers (Finn always said fireworks, she begs to differ.) and with Puck it was pretty good (Helps that he's a very skilled man. She's not going to argue that.), but when her lips touched Rachel's it felt like an electric shock. All her senses were on over drive and she was suddenly taken out of whatever reality she was in before she kissed Rachel.

Was there even a life before kissing Rachel? Her mind was so jumbled she didn't even remember.

Hell how did one go on without Rachel Berry kissing them? No wonder Finn had such a hard time letting go and why Puck always seemed to come back to her once in a blue moon. She was a damn good kisser and they didn't even go to second base.

She shuddered at the thought.

While one part of her was being brought out for the first time, another part of her knew that what she was feeling was wrong. Rachel was her friend, her _female_ friend. She was raised to be with men. She was literally in a church that frowned about the type of thoughts that she was having.

But nonetheless she did have those thoughts and it was really freaking her out. ' _Maybe I should just quit the play then maybe I can salvage whatever's left of our friendship._ '

Quinn was so consumed in her thoughts and misery that she failed to notice someone taking a seat on the other side of her pew.

"Don't you look like shit." A husky and sultry voice spoke out in the silence.

That was so something that Santana would say that she looked over and was a little disappointed to not see her friend there. She really could have used the Latina as a distraction.

Across from her was an older blonde woman who looked to be in her early 30's, with long hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing tight black pants and a black tank top with a jacket covering her arms. She was extremely attractive and Quinn could tell that she was pretty fit with the way her clothes clung to her body.

Currently the sexy blonde was looking at her and smirking. Apparently she was talking to her.

Quinn brought up her defenses and answered the woman coolly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The woman leaned forward, looking at Quinn like she was prey. "I think you do honey." She sing-songed. "That's the worst look of gay panic that I have ever seen. Trust me I've seen quite a few. Consider me an expert."

Startled at being found out so easily, Quinn tried to school her features and stay calm. This stranger had no idea what she was talking about. "You need to get your sight checked."

She started laughing, but it didn't sound mocking or condescending which was a surprise for her. Most people who are in a Catholic Church tend to be a little self-righteous.

"You're good, kid, but you can't fool me." She said, wiping some tears from her eyes. "If I hadn't have gone through the same thing myself, I would have believed you."

"Wait so…" Quinn leaned forward and whispered. "You're a lesbian."

The older blonde started laughing again. Quinn was a little confused by her reaction. "Sheesh you make being gay sound like an STD." She felt her face heat up in embarrassment which made the woman laugh harder.

Quinn wasn't happy that the woman was laughing at her expense and she was just about to get up and leave, but the woman seemed to have other thoughts on her mind because she moved closer to her, invading her personal space.

"You're cute when you sound all innocent. I miss that." She said, making Quinn blush again. The older blonde smirked and leaned down so that they were inches apart. "I love them when they're innocent." She whispered huskily.

Her eyes widened and she moved a couple of inches away from her. The blonde started laughing again, making Quinn scowl at her.

"You're so gullible. I could just pinch your cheeks." She exclaimed. Quinn scooted over a little more, wary of the woman.

She shook her head at her and smiled, becoming less playful and more encouraging. "Thank you for making me laugh, I really needed it today. I'm sure that you're not here to solve my problems so if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

"I don't even know you. Why would I tell you anything?" Quinn questioned, looking at her suspiciously. She had a hard time trusting her friends and family with her secrets, why would she tell someone she just met not even a half hour ago?

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger." She said, and then she shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing you say leaves this church, wouldn't want to invoke God's wrath or anything."

Quinn thought about it long and hard. It would be really stupid to tell this woman anything about her because she has no idea if the information would get back to her family. On the other hand, she had literally no one else that she could turn to. Her mother was completely out of the question as well as her sister, Santana and Brittany had their own thing going on, and Rachel was the main issue of her problems so that was a no.

With that in mind, Quinn glanced at the woman and came to her decision. Besides if she did tell anyone then Quinn could always deny it or find a way to get her arrested. She could be pretty conniving.

She took a deep breath and started talking. "I've been noticing lately that I have been having these feelings for the same sex. Things I have never felt before with any guy I have been with, especially for my friend. Currently we are staring in a school production of West Side Story as the leads."

"They turned West Side Story into a lesbian romance in a small town school in Ohio." She exclaimed in wonder. "Impressive. Who are you?"

"Tony."

The blonde nodded her head in agreement. "I can see that." Then she motioned for Quinn to continue.

"The director decided to change things at the last minute and made it practically a requirement to kiss." Quinn was going to go on but the woman interrupted her.

"I think that I can fill in the blanks. You two kissed and you freaked out, and figured out that you should pay a visit to your good friend Jesus." She stated matter-of-factly. "Am I warm?"

Quinn looked down at her lap and sighed in misery. "I just don't know what to do. She's one of my best friends and I don't want to wreck things between us because I am confused."

The older blonde reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Quinn looked up and saw that the woman was looking really serious. "Do you like this girl as more than a friend?"

"I don't know." She whispered brokenly, leaving her completely bare and vulnerable.

The woman scooted closer and placed her arm around Quinn's shoulders in a tight one armed side hug. "It's going to be alright, but a word of advice. Wait until you know for sure how you feel because whatever you say or do can't be undone. Take it from me."

"What did you do?"

"I was an ass and lost the best thing that ever happened to me."

Well that sounded really familiar. "Are you me from the future?" She asked jokingly.

She laughed and quipped. "You wish you were as sexy as me."

They pulled away from each other still chuckling. "Listen, kid, anytime you need someone to talk to, just give me a ring."

"My name's Quinn, not kid." Quinn said.

The blonde smirked. "Quinn huh? Not a bad name. My name's Cassandra but you can call me Cassie." She held her hand out and Quinn took it in a firm handshake.

* * *

Rachel was sitting in the kitchen, sipping some hot cocoa. Her dads still weren't home and she never really felt comfortable sleeping alone in the house.

That really wasn't her issue tonight.

She looked down at her phone and contemplated on calling or texting Quinn something. Anything. Each time she gathered up her courage to unlock her screen, she chickened out and put her phone back on the table.

She wasn't sure how long she stood in the middle of the room like an idiot, but all she knew was that Quinn left. She probably took their friendship out the door as well.

Even if she did manage to call Quinn and she so happened to answer (Not likely at all), what was she going to say to her? 'Sorry I stood there like a dummy but you kissed me speechless. Let's stay friends.'

The brunette shook her head furiously and groaned in frustration. She was blaming all of this on Artie. Didn't he know that Quinn couldn't handle change very well? What an idiot!

Her doorbell rang, making her jump in her seat. ' _Who's that?_ ' She thought to herself. It wasn't her fathers because they wouldn't knock on their own front door. That would be silly.

Her heart sped up as she thought about the only other person it could be.

Quinn.

She stood up quickly and made her way to the door. She opened the door without a care to her safety or the possibility that it might not be Quinn.

' _Don't be silly Rachel. She came back after cooling off and we'll be back to normal in no time._ ' She optimistically said to herself.

Her heart plummeted.

"Oh it's you." She deadpanned, walking away from the entrance and back to the kitchen.

"Good to see you too." Kurt Hummel sarcastically stated, shutting the door and following her to the kitchen. "Just really needed a friend right now, but I can go." He made no move to leave. In fact, he went to her cupboard, grabbed a mug and proceeded to pour himself some of her cocoa.

Rachel sighed miserably and leaned forward in her seat, placing her arms on the table. "I'm sorry but it's been a difficult evening."

Kurt smiled sadly in understanding. "Quinn never showed up."

She shook her head. He looked at her in confusion. "Oh she showed up. Almost a half hour late, might I add."

"Is that why you're upset? Or is it something else? Did you two get into a fight?" He shot out each question quickly, not bothering to wait for an explanation. Kurt tended to have a problem with that.

"No I was just happy she showed up. We did fight though, but not about that. We got over it." Rachel explained.

"I'm not getting what the issue is then?"

It grew silent as she found that she couldn't speak. Her mouth became dry and she took a drink, but found that the dryness in her throat still remained. She looked down at her hands. Hands that ran through blonde tresses not even 4 hours ago. Rachel swallowed the invisible object that was stuck in her throat. Kurt was waiting on her response, practically leaning off of his seat as the seconds ticked by.

Finally she took a deep breath and said shakily. "We kissed."

He looked at her like someone shaved his head and eyebrows. His eyes were huge and his mouth was hanging open in shock. She truly believed that she broke him.

Soon she grew uncomfortable with his staring, which was strange in itself because she loved being the center of attention. Just not like this. She didn't like feeling like an animal caged in a zoo. "Say something." She shouted at him.

Kurt was brought out of whatever trance he was in. He looked at her seriously, trying not to make light of this conversation. She was grateful for that.

"Did you like it?"

"Of course I liked it, until she practically ran out of here in a panic." She told him bitterly. Honestly she was expecting Quinn to run out. She would ponder if she was abducted by aliens and somehow cloned if she didn't run away. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt all the same.

He gently placed a hand over hers and squeezed. She smiled back sadly, as tears welled up in her eyes. "I really think that I just lost one of my best friends over this."

Kurt reached over and took her in his arms, lending her a shoulder as she sobbed. This was such a mess.

"Everything's going to be alright. Quinn's going to come around, even if I have to shake some sense into her." Kurt quipped as he rubbed circles on her back.

Rachel laughed and hiccupped into his shoulder. "I would like to see that."

They both giggled softly as Rachel pulled away from his embrace. Leave it to Kurt to always make her feel better after a life crisis.

She wiped her eyes and smiled. "Here I am crying about my problems when clearly something must have happened to you at Scandals."

Kurt frowned into his cup before he went on to explain what happened. Rachel was a little peeved at Blaine's behavior. How dare he dance with another guy and leave his boyfriend up at the bar. Wait until she sees him tomorrow. He is going to get a long Rachel Berry lecture on how to treat your boyfriend's right.

Then Kurt explained what happened in the parking lot afterwards which made Rachel uncomfortable since she was still a virgin herself.

"Is he pressuring you?" Rachel asked once he finished his story.

"Of course not." Kurt responded waving her off. "He was drunk. We've talked about doing it a few times, but I didn't want my first time to be in the back of a car and Blaine smelling like a booze house."

"Okay. He better not be trying to force you. He wouldn't like me very much if he managed to upset or hurt you." Rachel threatened. Kurt was her best friend and she would do anything for him, including making Blaine's life hard and miserable if he ever did anything to hurt him.

"I love him. When it happens I'll be ready." He said confidently and she really believed him.

They drank the rest of their cocoa and Rachel poured them each another cup. They sat in companionable silence, not bothering to say anything else. Too wrapped up in their own problems and thoughts.

That was until Kurt decided to break the silence. "Do you have feelings for her?"

She sighed heavily and took a drink of her cocoa, really thinking over the question.

Did she really have feelings for Quinn?

All the signs pointed to yes. The racing heart beat whenever she was near. The giddy feeling she got when she smiled at her. The constant urge to want to know every single thing about her even all the dark and bad stuff. Never getting tired or discouraged when she constantly shut her out, which was almost all the time, but nowadays it was more like a game of cat and mouse. It just couldn't be possible though.

Could it?

It wasn't like she has a problem with homosexuals. (She laughed internally at the thought.) Unlike most people in Lima, she was open to her sexuality. Her fathers taught her better than that. If she loved a girl then, so what, that's not really the issue here.

The issue was Quinn.

Did she really like Quinn as more than a friend or was she feeling lonely and projecting these feelings out of nothing? It wouldn't be the first time. She shuddered as she thought about her crush on Mr. Schue. That was a horrible case of bad judgement.

Rachel knew how she was whenever she had a potential love interest. As soon as someone showed her the smallest hint of kindness, she latched onto them like a leech and sucked them dry.

That was her biggest concern. She loved too much and too fast. She leaped before she thought when it came to matters of the heart and for the most part it ended in disaster.

She didn't want to do that with Quinn. If she did truly have feelings for her then jumping her bones the next time she saw her was the worst possible thing to do. Though she would really enjoy it; if that were to happen.

"I'm not sure." Rachel said thoughtfully. "I've never been in this situation with a girl before let alone a friend. This is uncharted territory."

Kurt nodded in understanding. "Just a word of advice."

She regarded him with a curious look, but she had a feeling what he was going to say. He was her best friend after all. Most of the time, he knew her better than she knew herself.

"Take things slow. Make sure you really do like Quinn before you do something that you're going to regret. Your heart as well as your friendship is at risk here."

Rachel nodded in understanding. So her mind was made up then.

She'd test the waters before she made her move.

* * *

Shelby groaned when she heard her phone go off. Again. She took a sip of her white wine and pointedly ignored the text message that she surely received from Puck.

It was late and Beth was fast asleep. So Shelby decided to have a drink on her couch and de-stress from the week.

She never should have let Puck kiss her last week. Ever since he had been relentless and was driving her crazy. Words couldn't even begin to describe the poor judgement that she used.

First of all Puck was a student, even if he was over eighteen, he was still one of her students. Strike one. He was also the biological father of her adoptive daughter. Strike two. He dated not only the biological mother of her adoptive daughter but he was with her other daughter as well. Strike three. She screwed up.

Avoiding him until this all blew over seemed to be the most logical conclusion, but he would not stop texting her. She cringed at all the typos and text speak that she was forced to read. Kids these days have no respect for the English language.

Puck was a very nice guy, which was why she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she was reaching her last ounce of patience. She was going to have to reject him. Again. This time she was going to make sure he got her point.

There was a sharp knock on the door. Shelby looked over at her clock in confusion. ' _It's after midnight. Who could possibly be here at this hour?_ ' She thought to herself, setting her glass down on the table and walking over to the door.

She paled a little at the thought that it could be Puck behind the door. She was praying that it would be anyone but him.

When she opened the door and saw who was on the other side, it felt like the wind got knocked out of her.

It certainly wasn't Puck.

She just didn't know if this choice was any better.

Standing on her door mat was none other than Cassandra July in all her blonde bombshell glory. She looked like she hadn't changed since she last saw her four years ago. Back when they…

She shook her head from her thoughts and glared. "What are you doing here?"

Cassie looked hurt but she quickly covered it with a cocky smirk. She held her arms out in a welcoming manner. "What no kiss hello for your ex-girlfriend? I'm hurt. Truly hurt."

She gripped the door frame tightly, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. Cassie always had a way of getting a rise out of her.

"Why are you here?" She questioned again.

She regarded her with a look. That look she always got before she kissed her or told her that she loved her. "I think you know why."

"It's been over four years!" Shelby exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down because Beth was sleeping in the other room.

Of all the times for Cassie to wake up and realize what she lost, she had to pick now. Shelby had enough on her plate already. She was raising her daughter, while also getting to know her other daughter. She had a full time job. Let's not forget the annoying Mohawk teen chasing after her left and right. She waited for months for her to change her mind and come back, but when she received no response in return, she got her answer. She moved on! She did not have time for Cassie's baggage again.

She was about to tell her all of that, but the blonde looked at her sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm an idiot." Cassie replied simply. She offered no other excuse that she normally would have done by now, but she stood there and waited expectantly.

Just like that the ice was broken.

Shelby couldn't hold back the laugh. It was like she was in some terrible romantic comedy. She moved out of the doorway and into the living room, leaving the door wide open. Now she really needed a drink.

Cassie called out to her in confusion. "Can I come in?"

"Make yourself at home. It wouldn't be the first time." She called out before she took a deep sip from her glass.

"Touché." Cassie said as she entered her apartment and she heard her going through her cupboards in the kitchen.

She made her way into the living room holding a bottle of apple juice and a wine glass. Okay…well that certainly was different. When Shelby gave her a look, she shrugged her shoulders and sat down next to her.

It was quiet as the blonde expertly opened the bottle with ease and poured herself a healthy portion. She noticed that there was a slight shake to her hand, but she decided not to say anything. It was not her fault she was nervous. This whole mess between them was all on her.

Which brought her to her earlier question, "Cassie, why are you here?"

Cassie smiled at the familiar nickname, but she turned serious as she looked her in the eye. "I want a do over."

Shelby shook her head as she remembered all the do overs they asked for each other in the past. Too many to count. "This isn't off Broadway anymore. You can't just ask for a do over. You didn't want a family. I did. End of story."

"That's not fair. You blindsided me. We were together for three years and you never once mentioned you had a kid." Cassie remarked, defending herself.

She rolled her eyes as they were about to have the same argument that they had all those years ago. "I already said that I was sorry. That doesn't change the fact that you told me that you never wanted children. You never wanted to settle down." Tears gathered in her eyes and she cursed herself.

Cassie reached over and grabbed her hands, running her thumbs gently over the back of her hands. She smiled gently at her when she saw tears in her eyes. The brunette cursed her weakness for the other woman. Not even 20 minutes in and she was under her spell. "I made a mistake. I was young and immature, too stupid to realize I had a good thing until it was gone."

"Is that why you had that meltdown on stage and committed career suicide?" Shelby asked the other woman, who cringed at the mention of that night.

"I was really hoping you didn't see that, but yes." Cassie said truthfully. "It was a pretty dark time back then. To be fair we did break up the day before so I wasn't in the greatest of moods."

Shelby knew that. She saw the video of Cassie's meltdown that same day, over and over again. It was a viral sensation in the Broadway crowd. At the time she was happy that she wasn't the only one suffering and was glad that she was in pain, but looking back on it, she was saddened that Cassie lost her career and was forced to teach to a bunch of ungrateful snobs at NYADA. She knew how much the blonde hated trying to explain things to other people especially when they never got it the first time, which was hardly ever. She was quite impatient.

Cassie was the best dancer that she has ever seen. She's not being bias. It's a fact. To waste that talent and knowledge on less talented youngsters is probably the biggest injustice of all. That was coming from someone who enjoyed teaching for a living.

She was about to apologize but Cassie held up her hand. "Don't. I don't deserve it. It was my choice to attack the audience, not yours."

They pulled apart from each other and grew silent as they nursed their drinks. Shelby was looking at Cassie and she noticed the slight differences to her appearance. There were bags under her eyes, she still held herself with a sense of confidence, but it seemed a little dimmer, and there was a lifelessness in her eyes that made her heart clench painfully in her chest.

"What changed?" Shelby questioned a slight edge to her voice. "Why now?"

Cassie looked down miserably at her glass. "Well if you must know, I woke up one morning from a night of drinking with vomit in my hair and a student in my bed. That was kind of a wakeup call for me." She reached into her pocket and threw a coin on the table and Shelby recognized it as an AA chip. "I'm six months sober today."

"Cassie…I didn't know." Shelby whispered brokenly, looking at her ex in a new light.

She continued on, not bothering to listen to her, not wanting to hear the rejection that was sure to come. "I never really got over you. Drinking was my way of dealing with that. I loved you. Still do." She took a deep and shaky breath before looking over and into her eyes. Shelby saw right through her soul. Cassie always wore her emotions on her sleeve. "The only thing that changed was that I realized what I wanted was you above everything else in my life. More than drinking. More than dancing. I don't care if you want a family. I'll want one too. So long as you're by my side I don't care. If you want to move to a farm and raise chickens then I'll do it."

Shelby grinned at the thought. "But you're terrified of chickens."

"Doesn't matter." She said still staring her down with her bright hazel eyes. "I lived four years without you in my life and it was fucking hell."

"I missed you too." She sighed sadly as she admitted what she has been keeping bottled inside of her for all these years. She never got over Cassie. That was why she never had a stable relationship no matter how many men or women she tried to date. The only one that helped ease the pain was Beth.

Beth brought her back down into reality. "I have a daughter you know."

Cassie looked at her like she was stupid. "Yeah I know. That's why we got into this whole mess isn't it?"

"No I mean I have another daughter." Shelby explained, knowing that this was the make or break moment of this reunion. She may still be in love with the blonde but she'll choose Beth over her every time. "I adopted a baby. She's two."

It was silent again as Cassie digested the information that she just unloaded. The silence was making her feel uneasy and a painful pit was forming in her stomach. Dammit she was going to have to say goodbye again.

"I don't care. I can help you raise her if yo…pfft." Cassie tried to say but Shelby heard enough and it had been too damn long since they had been together.

She grabbed her by the front of her tank top and smashed her lips onto hers in a hungry and passionate kiss. All of the old feelings she had for Cassie came flooding back as the blonde kissed her back hard. Her teeth hurt from the force but she didn't care. She'd go through the pain because this feeling in her heart was everything.

This was all she ever wanted, a loving family. Her home life wasn't the greatest, that's why she agreed to be a surrogate in the first place. She hated home and she had to get to New York somehow. She left her parents behind and never looked back. They probably disowned her years ago but that never really bothered her. You actually had to have parents that loved you at one point in your life for it to hurt.

In New York she fell in love with Cassandra July, her headstrong costar with a healthy appetite for flirting and having fun. Shelby just loved living in their cozy studio apartment with the broken shower head and thin walls. Cassie called it a dump, but she knew that this felt more like a home to her than living with her parents for 18 years of her life.

As the years went by, she realized that she was missing something that even Cassie couldn't fill. It just took her some time to figure it out.

One night she was browsing through the internet when she stumbled upon Rachel's Myspace videos. As soon as she said her name and sang, she knew that this beautiful girl was her daughter. The facial features were pretty uncanny and her voice sounded just like hers did when she was that age. Plus she recognized the last name of the lovely gay couple she gave her daughter to. She cried the whole night, realizing what she has been missing this whole time. She wanted to settle down and have a family. A child that loved her unconditionally.

That's what ultimately led to their break up. Cassie wasn't ready. She wasn't going to force her to be ready.

When she felt Cassie's hand try to get under her shirt, she pulled away. The blonde gave her a confused look, her swollen lips pouting. Shelby giggled at the familiar expression and lightly pecked her on the cheek.

"Let's take things slow for now." Shelby said, making Cassie groan in frustration. "We haven't seen each other in four years. You haven't met either of my daughters. I have no idea about everything you've been up to."

Cassie grinned and kissed her lightly on the lips. "We're slowing it down then."

Shelby smiled back and scooted over so that she could lie on top of her chest and have her hold her like old times. Her heart beat quickened as she felt her arms wrap around her torso in a tight embrace.

"So I heard that you're having a lesbian West Side Story?" Cassie asked out of the blue.

Shelby laughed out loud and turned her neck around so that she was looking at Cassie. "How did you find out?"

"In a Catholic Church of all places." She said with a smirk but didn't say anything further.

Shelby shrugged her shoulders and turned away from her. She sighed in happiness.

For once in a long time, she was finally content being in someone's arms and her dreams of a happy family were slowly coming true.

* * *

Music was playing in the bathroom as Rachel stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair. Kurt left pretty late last night and she went to bed not too long after. Her fathers must have come home sometime after she went to sleep because she heard her Daddy, Leroy, pounding on the door this morning telling her to get up for the day.

With all of the thoughts going through her head, she completely forgot to set her alarm. Luckily her Daddy was home because no matter what he was always up super early in the morning to her Dad's displeasure.

She laughed as she imagined the hangover her Dad, Hiram, was probably suffering through. Her Daddy's chipper behavior wasn't going to help matters.

Quickly she combed and dried her hair, and then she did the rest of her morning routine. All the while she was thinking about the conversation she had with Kurt.

' _So I'm going to test the waters and see what happens._ ' She took a deep breath and sighed. ' _The only problem is that I don't really do slow. Ever._ '

She was going to have to or else she could scare Quinn off. That was the last thing that she wanted to do.

Rachel put on her outfit for the day, shut off her iPod dock and walked out of the bathroom. She was humming a tune to herself and thinking of different ways to corner Quinn, but she froze in the doorway.

Sitting on her bed was none other than Quinn Fabray. The blonde smiled nervously at her and slowly stood up.

"Umm….sorry to drop by unannounced but I figured that I could…uh…stop by and give you a ride to school." Quinn said nervously as she ran a shaky hand through her hair.

Even though Rachel was a little mad at the blonde for running out on her last night, she had to admit that nervous Quinn was adorable. She felt the smile make its way to her face without much effort.

"Are we going to talk about last night?" Rachel asked, deciding not to beat around the bush. The faster they talked about whatever this was between them, the faster that they could get past the awkwardness.

Quinn bit her lower lip and the brunette found her eyes following the movement. She held back a groan at what that simple action was doing to her body and mind right now. It did involve more kissing though.

"I suppose." The blonde eventually said.

Rachel made her way over to her bed and sat down in the middle by the headboard. Quinn looked unsure for a moment but she patted the spot next to her and with a sigh the blonde joined her on the bed.

It was quiet for a few minutes as they looked at each other. Rachel figured that she was going to have to break the silence or they will keep staring each other down.

"Why did you leave so abruptly?" She questioned. She knew that Quinn was about to use the same lame excuse so she interrupted her, "I want the truth, Quinn."

The blonde sighed and took a deep breath. "I freaked out." She whispered so quietly that Rachel only heard the last word.

"What?" She leaned closer to her.

"I panicked okay!" The blonde shouted defensively. Rachel pulled back a little as her eyes widened at the volume of her voice.

"Why?" She hated that she was reduced to asking one word answers but this was new ground for the both of them.

"Because…because I've never…" Quinn paused as she thought over her choice of words. She could see the confliction in her hazel eyes. "Kissed one of my girlfriends…" She blushed bright red at her choice of words. "Friend that just so happens to be a girl before. I was afraid that we ruined our friendship."

The diva knew that there was more to this story, but seeing the terrified look in Quinn's eyes, she knew that she couldn't bring it up. She was just glad that the blonde was talking to her and not reverting back to the mean HBIC.

"Quinn, it's perfectly fine to feel overwhelmed from time to time. I just don't like it when people run out on me. It doesn't really add to the confidence boost." She joked to try and make her feel better.

It seemed to have worked because Quinn smiled weakly but it was a genuine grin. "Don't worry, it's not you, it's me."

They both cringed because it was the worst line ever, before they both started laughing. "I never thought that someone would ever say that to me." Rachel chuckled, the tension from last night leaving her.

Quinn grinned back and she felt her heart start to beat rapidly in her chest. ' _Yup I am definitely crushing._ '

"I can't believe that I used it." The blonde said, shaking her head in disappointment, then a sly smirk came over her face and Rachel gulped. "Speaking of confidence boost I happen to recall a certain someone left speechless. Ring a bell?"

She felt her face heat up as she cursed Quinn for remembering her actions last night or lack there off. Instead of freaking out, she decided to try a little flirting. "You would be speechless too if you could kiss yourself. Now I know what the boys were talking about."

She smirked internally when she saw the blonde's eyebrows rise up and her eyes widen in surprise. Quickly the blonde recovered and she was smirking cockily. "Better watch yourself Berry or you might fall in love with me."

Rachel felt a thrill of excitement shoot up her spine. She quite liked this confident side of the blonde. It was really sexy.

Now she decided to really push the boundaries. "Kiss me and let's find out." Quinn gave her a startled look and she knew that she pushed too far. She decided to explain herself (More like come up with an excuse) before Quinn came to the wrong (Right) conclusion. "I figured that by doing a little flirting we could get comfortable and practice kissing again. The play is tomorrow night. We have to be somewhat decent at it."

Quinn nodded her head in understanding but the nervousness was back in her eyes. Rachel sighed to herself. ' _Well Rome wasn't built in a day._ '

She scooted closer to her friend and was practically nose to nose with her. The diva knew that it was her turn to take the initiative so she closed her eyes and pressed her lips firmly against Quinn's. The action so fast and swift that the blonde didn't have a chance to move away from her.

The same foreign but strangely familiar feelings from last night came back full force. Rachel held back a moan, afraid that that would really push Quinn over the edge.

Before Rachel could really enjoy the kiss, Quinn pulled back, the same look in her eyes as last night before she ran out the door.

This time she knew better. Quickly she placed both of her hands on Quinn's cheeks and held her gently but firmly in her grasp. She wasn't going to pull another escape on her again.

She pressed her forehead against hers and stared into her terrified hazel eyes. "Hey it's okay. It's just me." She smiled at her reassuringly.

Quinn took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of this, she slowly reopened them again. Rachel was a little caught off guard at how intense Quinn's stare really is.

"Sorry. Just a lot to get used to." Quinn simply said; trying to smile back but it came out as more of a grimace.

"There's no need to be sorry. Both of us are trying to adjust to this new development."

"Yeah."

Rachel wasn't sure how to comfort her. Clearly this was affecting Quinn as much as it was her. Maybe more, given her religious background and strict upbringing. She figured that if she kept on talking that this might help things. Put Quinn at ease. "How about after the play we just forget that this even happened." What the hell did she just say?

Quinn looked at her in confusion as well. "What are you getting at?"

' _That is a good question._ ' She thought to herself but out loud she said. "Clearly we're both nervous about what this is going to do to our friendship so how about we just do what other friends do."

Quinn pulled away from her and looked at her in disbelief. "Are you talking about friends with benefits?"

Rachel was trying to think on the fly but she had to admit that the idea had merit. "In a sense, but instead of hooking up, we're just kissing. We keep kissing until we're comfortable to do it in front of everyone and then once the play is over we just put it behind us and go back to how we used to be."

"You know that hardly ever works out right?" Quinn said, raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

"If something happens after the play, we'll deal with it when the time comes." Rachel waved dismissingly, already knowing for a fact that this friend with benefits was not going to work for her, but this was to get Quinn comfortable not her. She can't have her running off of the stage in a panic every time they kissed.

Plus with the amount of kissing that she was planning on doing this might help her realize how deep her attraction to Quinn is. If a relationship with Quinn was even worth potentially sacrificing their friendship over.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that but with them you never know. Drama seems to always find them at the worst possible times.

The blonde was thinking it over long and hard as Rachel waited expectantly. Soon the blonde sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay I guess we'll try this." The brunette clapped her hands excitedly. "But I doubt that this is going to go as we planned."

Rachel snorted in agreement.

She was planning on it not working.

(A/N There you have it folks we finally have a Faberry kiss! I hope that I did the couple justice in this chapter. It's still going to be a few more chapters before they actually end up being together (It wouldn't be a Faberry story without a little Quinn gay panic. lol) so I hope you all stay with me for the ride.

For those of you disappointed that I didn't include the actual play well I really hate rewriting things from the actual show. Everyone knows what happens in _West Side Story_ so just picture Quinn in Blaine's place and there you have it. We'll discuss the aftermath in the next few chapters.

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why the heck Cassandra July is in this story and she's with Shelby. Well my dear readers I only have one explanation for you. My beta, Wheelie91, really enjoys this couple so I did this for him as a thank you for being my beta and helping me with my grammar and spelling issues. I personally didn't think that it would hurt the plot and I figured that Cassandra can be like a lesbian mentor to Quinn. For all of you upset about Puck not getting his happy ending, don't worry he will. I have the perfect person to set him up with. Though I am open to suggestions if one sounds better than my choice.

I have a question for you all. In this chapter I was planning on combining episode 5 and 6 together but it would have ended up being too long. Now I'm contemplating combining episodes 6 and 7 into one chapter because the ending of one ties into the next episode. This might end up making it a really long chapter as well. What do you guys think? Let me know.)


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